Yichang holds week-long campaign to boost city's brand

By Yan Wanqin, Yichang International Communication Studio

Yichang is holding its second Yichang City Brand Promotion Week campaign aimed at promoting the city’s brand as well as boosting its popularity and influence.

This year’s campaign is themed "Brands Make Yichang Better" and will be held from May 7 to May 13, 2023. Seven offline activities are planned, including the opening ceremony tomorrow, during which Yichang’s slogan will be unveiled.

During the event, the city will also recognize outstanding Yichang natives as Yichang City Brand Promotion Ambassadors. They are chosen based on being leading and influential individuals in their respective fields, such as world-famous athletes, artists and bloggers/vloggers/livestreaming hosts who have contributed to building the city’s brand through their work.

Other major offline events include the "City Brand Building Innovation Path" Forum, the Science Popularization Painting Exhibition of Yangtze River Rare Fish and Birds, the roadshow of selected pictures from the "Aerial View of Yichang" event, the Yichang Fatty Fish Tasting Event, the 2023 National Paragliding Tournament at Bailihuang and the 2023 Dolphin Music Festival.

Another important component of the campaign is the launch of the video series: "Travel A Thousand Miles to Discover Yichang’s Hidden Beauty." Its episodes are hosted by people from inside and outside of Yichang who tell stories of the city’s long history, rich cultural heritages and modern transformations, including local people’s efforts to conserve and restore the Yangtze River’s ecosystem. 

In August 2021, a special task force was established to build the brand of Yichang City. In April 2022, Yichang designated the second week of May as "Yichang City Brand Promotion Week." It is a first among Hubei cities, also a rare case among Chinese cities, to have a week-long campaign to promote a city’s brand.

In 2022, Yichang held a series of major festivals and events to enhance the city’s brand, such as the Lantern Festival Fireworks, the First International Forum on Qu Yuan Culture Research and the Dragon Boat Festival in Qu Yuan's hometown.

Yichang has also taken the lead in exploring international brand building communications among Hubei cities. The English-language website "Gorgeous Yichang" and its respective social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Youtube have attracted wide attention and a large number of followers.