{"id":257,"date":"2010-08-18T09:40:06","date_gmt":"2010-08-18T09:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leedscd.wordpress.com\/?p=257"},"modified":"2010-08-18T09:40:06","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T09:40:06","slug":"leeds-loves-shopping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/realisedevelopment.net\/index.php\/2010\/08\/18\/leeds-loves-shopping\/","title":{"rendered":"Leeds Loves Shopping…"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the brand for a 10 day ‘fashion lover’s festival’<\/a> to be held in the city in October.<\/p>\n

Just\u00a0think\u00a0about that as a\u00a0brand. \u00a0Something to be known for. \u00a0A perception to be planted in heads around the world….<\/p>\n

‘Leeds?’<\/p>\n

‘Oh yes, that’s the place that loves <\/em>shopping<\/span><\/strong>‘<\/p>\n

‘Sounds interesting! Why don’t we go there and spend some of our hard earned….’<\/p>\n

The fact is that many of us don’t love it. \u00a0Hate is probably a more accurate description of our relationship to ‘shopping’.<\/p>\n

Some for the mind numbing tedium that it induces.<\/p>\n

Others because of its role in driving consumption, environmental degradation and sexualisation of society.<\/p>\n

Still more because of debt.<\/p>\n

So for a large chunk of Leeds residents this brand leaves a bad taste in the mouth.<\/p>\n

It is just not true.<\/p>\n

‘We’ are telling a little white lie to help drive our\u00a0retail\u00a0economy.<\/p>\n

I wonder what else we will tell little white lies about if it\u00a0delivers\u00a0the holy grail of economic growth?<\/p>\n

And who are the ‘we’ in\u00a0this\u00a0case?<\/p>\n

As far as I can make out it is a partnership between Leeds City Council’s marketing team and a group of retailers. \u00a0 I am OK with my relationship with one of these being ‘caveat emptor’….but the other, well, I would quite like to trust them.<\/p>\n

Now I suspect we paid a lot for the Leeds Loves… brand and the whole ‘Leeds. Live It. Love It.’ campaign. \u00a0But does it give us more than a neat line to attract outsiders to come and throw their money at us?<\/p>\n