Meaning of I.SEOUL.U

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Opinion

Michael Breen

Meaning of I.SEOUL.U

Posted : 2015-11-20 16:46

Updated : 2015-11-20 17:09

By Michael Breen

The debate over I.SEOUL.U, the new brand logo for Seoul City appears to reflect a rather lopsided reaction from branding conservatives, who expect brands to say something, and branding liberals, who say that the people should give the slogan more time to be accepted.

The missing voices are those of the revolutionary vanguard who led the campaign, consisting of both the citizens who participated in the selection process and the branding experts who led it.

But for once the radicals are keeping quiet, at least until the current controversy blows over. That's how it is in Korea. There's not much stock in being outspoken and explaining stuff after it's been decided.

That's a pity because, with the nine judges going unanimously for I.SEOUL.U, there must have been a compelling argument that led to the selection. It would be interesting to know what it was.

Absent their argument, I find myself wondering if I am missing something.

I'm reminded of an occasion, many years ago, when I and a friend visited an art gallery in London's Hyde Park and I stood in front of an art piece that consisted of a cobblestone street placed in a six foot high by four foot wide wooden frame. It had four black nails driven through it.

"This is a load of crap," my friend said. He was an artist from Scotland.

"That's what I was thinking," I said. "Why are we looking at it?"

At that point a sweet old lady interrupted us. "Excuse me," she said. "I couldn't help over-hearing you. I think you're looking at this in the wrong way. You're not seeing what the artist is trying to say."

"What is he trying to say?" my friend asked, sounding rather belligerent in his Scottish accent.

"What do you think he is trying to say?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"It's what you see," she said.

I was definitely seeing a cobblestone street with nails.

In a similar vein, Mayor Park Won-soon has said that I.SEOUL.U can mean anything.

That's true enough.

In the branding world, you can see that the fashion has shifted over time to reduced clarity, rather like art. You start with Leonardo, shift to Turner and end up with Picasso. So you could go from – and I'm making two of these three up – "Busan: Korea's Biggest Port" to "Dynamic Busan" to "Boo! Busan."

Seoul led the way in Korea to phase three with its previous slogan, "Hi!".

With the new one, I have noticed a broad difference between Korean and foreign residents regarding interpretation of the verb "Seoul". The Koreans I have talked to tend to see it as something sweet and nice, while expatriates immediately think of vulgarities. That has little to do with Seoul and more to do with their own minds. (It could also, of course, be a reflection of the kind of friends I have).

Another way to think about this is to imagine other cities adopting the template. What comes to mind, for example, when you see the words I.BUFFALO.U? Better than its actual one – "Buffalo. For Real." Or, imagine a pair of lips saying I.OSAKA.U. or, I.BANGKOK.U.

They don't work, do they?

The question of meaning cannot be answered without knowing the purpose. In this case, some defenders point to the process. And, yes, one purpose was to create a process so the Mayor and his successors could not tamper with the end result because it had the stamp, "Made by the People." From this perspective, the actual choice was secondary, and must be defended even if everyone is going WTF?

There were, nevertheless, guidelines. This was to be a brand chosen by residents, primarily for residents, that should capture three things about Seoul – passion, harmony and relaxation.

Here's where we come back to the sound of one hand clapping because the only way I.SEOUL.U meets these guidelines is if it means anything.

This is but one short step to no slogan. And, frankly, my money is on that being the next strategy.

Michael Breen is the CEO of Insight Communications Consultants and author of The Koreans.