Welcome to Plovdiv: An under advertised city.

Welcome to Plovdiv: An under advertised city.

Back in 2014 the city of Plovdiv in the South of Bulgaria was crowned the European Capital of Culture (ECC) 2019. The website that now advertises the city’s ECC project, indicates its aim to bring people “together” (Plovdiv 2019, n.d) through cultural events. Thus, the motto “together” was adopted by the city of Plovdiv as a way to advertise its intent; to facilitate dialogue between people from different parts of Europe as well as between people from either side of the ethnic divide within Bulgaria itself. Upon realising the centrality of branding and advertisement to the ECC project in Bulgaria, I was interested to see how such marketing and advertisement campaigns were implemented in physical environments. Thus, I aim to look at some different issues arising from the use of advertisement in relation to the ECC Plovdiv 2019 project, in Plovdiv and the surrounding area.

Absence in the Bulgarian ECC: Where are the adverts?

From the moment I exited passport control at Sofia airport I had expected to see posters and signs promoting Plovdiv 2019 and the wider ECC project, yet there were none. This trend continued whilst travelling along the main road from Sofia to Plovdiv. It was not until the outskirts of ECC city that any indication of the project became clear. There are a number of ways in which this lack of advertisement can be interpreted. It could be that it speaks to an underlying rivalry between the inhabitants of Plovdiv and the inhabitants of Sofia as they compete to establish their city as the nation’s crowning glory. The rivalry, although not violent, seems to shape the everyday lives of each city’s inhabitants as indicated in the discussions had with inhabitants of both cities. A jovial rivalry that may have been exacerbated by Plovdiv’s success in gaining the ECC title over Sofia. In this case the lack of advertisement on the road close to Sofia would reflect a refusal by the capital and its inhabitants, to acknowledge the success of its neighbour. Another reading might suggest that the lack of advertisement shows Plovdiv 2019 to be a project for visitors from wider Europe, rather than for Bulgarians themselves, thus the lack of advertisement within the national borders. However, it is important to note that this suggestion doesn’t consider the advertisements that might exist in local print and digital media. A third argument on the other hand suggests that the lack of advertisement, particularly along one of the country’s main highways reflects an overwhelming support of the ECC project by Bulgarian themselves. So much so that no advertisement is required, because Bulgarians need no encouragement to attend the events in Plovdiv.

When considering these readings, it is important to consult the work of Rosaldo (1989) who suggests that as anthropologists we must be self-reflective when entering new environments to study social phenomenon, because we are likely to be influenced by our own life experiences. When the Commonwealth Games came to my city back in 2014. The city was awash with posters and other advertisements for the festival. Hence my surprise when landing in Bulgaria. Therefore, the lack of advertisements in Sofia airport and the connected highway can be further explained by analysing the existing power structures that underlie such institutions as the ECC and the Commonwealth Games. My home country historically holds a powerful position within the Commonwealth, so advertisements for such events would be well received compared with a country such as Bulgaria that has long been supressed by Imperial and Western powers, who back the ECC project. Perhaps in Bulgaria large advertisement campaigns for events such as the ECC cause more harm than good because they increase scepticism. Since they are associated with the intervention of Western nations and this may also be a reason for the lack of advertisements promoting events of the ECC out with established cultural institutions.  

Changing logos: Who is it all for?

The main website of Plovdiv ECC 2019 is fronted by a logo consisting of seven arcs. The website states that this new logo was adopted at the beginning of 2019 to promote a new positive energy and provide the project with a unique and distinctive symbol (Plovdiv 2019, n.d). Svetlana the Director of the ECC echoed this rhetoric, suggesting that the multi-coloured “together” logo had become much more of a community symbol used by restaurants and cafes in their menus. Thus, a new logo had to be produced, in order to regain control over the ways in which Plovdiv 2019 was being advertised. However, the ways in which these two logos have been implemented in advertisements for Plovdiv 2019 raises questions about who the ECC project is really for. The implementation of the seven arcs logo used on all the official maps and guides for Plovdiv 2019 seems to suggest a separation between the locals who adopted the original logo within their own marketing. Thus, the decision to implement a new symbol for the ECC project creates a divide between the local community and the wider project. The logo visibly suggests what is valued as culture within the vision of the ECC project, and as Svetlana believes this doesn’t include “drinking beer and eating meatballs” at a local restaurant. In changing their logo, the ECC then establishes a hierarchy of cultural life in Bulgaria. Suggesting what is valued on a European stage and what must be firmly left behind if, as Nikola stated, Bulgarians are to succeed in their quest to catch up with the rest of Europe. However, in taking this stance I am revealing myself to be a tourist. Since as Culler (2009) indicates, tourists persist in regarding such practices as eating to be cultural signs. When in our own countries we may perceive such practices differently. Perhaps then Svetlana is right in her position as a local to indicate that eating and drinking does not constitute culture. This then raises the question about which logo then best represents the intentions of Plovdiv 2019.

After all it is the multi-coloured sign positioned on the city’s main shopping street (Figure 3) that visitors and local alike flock to take pictures with.

If this logo became so central to Plovdiv’s bidding campaign for the European Capital of Culture and is something that has been backed by a large proportion of the community through its implementation in the marketing campaigns of local businesses. How can the new logo encourage community engagement with the ECC Plovdiv 2019 project when it seems to undermine their support of the project during the bidding process? 

References

Culler, J. (n.d.). Semiotics of Tourism. Reading Culture, 153-167.

Plovdiv 2019. (n.d.). Plovdiv 2019 with a new identity. Retrieved from https://plovdiv2019.eu/en/about/817-plovdiv-2019-with-new-identity

Rosaldo, R. (1989) Introduction: Grief and a Headhunter’s Rage. Culture and Truth: The Remaking of Social Analysis. London, LN: Taylor & Francis.