When Donald Trump referred to Andy Burnham as the mayor of “a town”, he inadvertently highlighted one of the biggest misconceptions in global politics.
Manchester isn’t just a city. It is one of Britain’s strongest global brands.
For decades, Manchester has punched well above its weight internationally. Ask someone in Singapore, São Paulo or San Francisco what they know about Britain and there is every chance Manchester appears alongside London. The city’s football clubs have created an international cultural footprint that many national tourism organisations would envy. Its Music, industry, science, innovation and a distinctive identity have all reinforced and added to that reputation.
Now, the creation of No.10 North has the potential to take Brand Manchester to another level entirely.
More than football
Manchester’s international recognition has largely been built through culture.
Manchesters United and City are global entertainment brands with billions of followers between them and are the vanguard of the city’s international brand language. That language is further enriched with its music, industrial history and innovation which combine to celebrate the city’s originality and modernity.
Yet awareness and influence are not the same thing. Until now, Manchester’s reputation has been driven largely by what it has produced: its sport, music. Innovation and culture.
No.10 North changes that equation by making Manchester synonymous with political leadership and national decision-making.
From regional city to national capital?
Brands are built through associations. Where Paris conjures up feelings of luxury, Silicon Valley represents technology. Hollywood’s dream factory represents entertainment and London, is the undisputed seat of political power in Britain.
By establishing a permanent extension of the Prime Minister’s office in Manchester, Andy Burnham is creating an entirely new association between the city and national leadership. His vision is for No.10 North to become the “nerve centre of a rewired Britain”, embedding senior government activity within Greater Manchester rather than concentrating it exclusively in Whitehall.
That is important because perception follows symbolism.
International media covering the UK will increasingly reference Manchester alongside Downing Street. Foreign governments, investors, diplomats, think tanks and businesses will have an unavoidable reason to engage with the city. Burnham has reportedly already invited Trump – and the circus which would undoubtedly follow – to the city.
The impact on the brand is that it moves from being recognised because of culture to being recognised because it is helping shape the future direction of Britain and playing on a very different international stage.
The communications opportunity
For communicators, this creates a fascinating moment.
Major political developments create what marketers call a “halo effect”. Attention extends beyond the immediate story and benefits organisations associated with the place.
Manchester’s universities, technology companies, professional services firms, cultural institutions, investors and fast-growth businesses all stand to gain from increased international visibility.
When journalists travel, when policymakers meet, when business delegations visit and when international conferences are held, they will spend more time in Manchester. Every interaction strengthens the city’s reputation as somewhere where important conversations happen.
That creates opportunities for organisations willing to tell bigger stories about innovation, investment and growth.
The value of place brands
Strong place brands create economic value. They attract talent, inward investment and tourism. Bosses at Salford’s MediaCity, already home to major parts of national BBC output, have already played a card to have the next Director General based in the region. But, perhaps most importantly, they shape perceptions long before a business pitches for work or an investor boards a plane.
Manchester has spent decades building one of Europe’s most authentic city brands. Unlike places that have attempted to manufacture identities through slogans, Manchester’s reputation has grown organically through its rich and varied achievements.
No.10 North adds another powerful dimension. It tells the world that Manchester is no longer simply one of Britain’s great cities but that it is now one of the places from which Britain is governed.
Like Burnham, I am a native of the other end of the East Lancashire Road and an Evertonian, so uncritical Manchester boosterism is not coded into my DNA. But perhaps that is the point. You do not need to be born here or support one of the city’s football clubs to recognise the strength of brand Manchester and its irresistible magnetism. No.10 North gives an already formidable global reputation an entirely new dimension.
A communications moment that counts
Whether No.10 North ultimately succeeds as a constitutional reform is a debate for politicians.
From a communications perspective, however, its significance is already clear. The move elevates Manchester’s profile internationally, strengthens its brand equity and reinforces a long-term shift in the UK’s centre of gravity away from London.
Donald Trump may have called it “a town” but the rest of the world will increasingly see is something rather different.
A global city and an internationally recognised brand. And now, a key centre of Britain’s political power.
