Nicholas: Metro-Baguio Branding: What are our most valuable assets?

APPLE is currently valued at $260 billion (P12.64 trillion) according to Forbes' latest list. Its most valuable product (asset) is the iPhone making up over 50 percent of overall profit. The company makes protecting the iPhone product a top priority.

There have been previous efforts by the Baguio City Council that focused on product and service branding as it relates to tourism and which were worthy endeavors. I am proposing, in a similar vein, considering branding from the perspective of analyzing the unique features, or assets like Apple's iPhone, which make up the Metro Baguio's value. As opposed to the branding of products and services, place branding is more multidimensional in nature, as a "place" is inherently anchored into a history, a culture, and an ecosystem.

Taking time to consider what makes up the metro Baguio area would include the climate, old-growth trees, the unique Sessions-Burnham Park, Baguio City Market, the priceless agricultural fields in La Trinidad, and a very long list of places. Some of these are crucial to support the local population and others are big drawing factors for tourism upon which the Baguio area economy depends. So, what is most critical and how does it support both local residents and tourists?

Deciding what is most crucial in the metro Baguio area and how it contributes could also influence how leaders prioritize projects or actions to protect key assets. There are core, unique qualities here that, if significantly reduced or removed, would severely reduce the value of the Baguio area as a place.

For example, there is some outcry regarding the proposed developments of the Baguio Public Market. If just to modernize what's the big deal? But if it would seriously damage the allure of tourists visiting Baguio by demolishing the historically-important structures of the Baguio Market and eliminate or greatly reduce the small business culture, would that really be progress? How the modernization project is handled could reduce metro Baguio's "brand value."

What if the City of Pines becomes the City formerly known as the City of Pines? Kind of like the artist Prince who later called himself, "the artist is formerly known as Prince." Will tourists go to Sagada or other places if they no longer see very many pine trees here because of continued tree cutting. How important are the 120 to 130-year-old pine trees to tourism and metro Baguio's place brand?

Another example. If La Trinidad farmlands were cemented over with corporate sprawl what effect would that have on the local area? Where would the vegetables, fruits, and flowers come from? Oh, and cancel Panagbenga too. No flowers, no flower festival.

These may seem like far-fetched examples; however, some studies and indicators report that the Baguio Metro area is overdeveloped. Yet, trees continue to fall. Other basic services struggle to meet the minimal needs of residents, tourists, students, and businesses as large corporate projects continue moving forward.

So, there are many intertwined characteristics of the area that really make it a priceless gem. Place branding is just an idea that could have some power in helping to protect our natural environment, in the allocation of resources to government agencies and overall prioritization of metro Baguio investments. Like Apple Inc protecting the iPhone as its most important product, Metro Baguio's protection of its most important attributes will preserve them for the residents, tourists, our children, and grandchildren.

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