City Envy: Richmond's Branding

Credit: Phil Riggan/Richmond.com

RVA Downtown at Richmond Folk Festival, 2011

City Envy is a weekly column where we put Richmond up against the great attributes of other cities. Got a problem with Richmond? Tell us who does it better! Got a topic? Email priggan@richmond.com or @RigganRVA.

Do you think 'RVA' is a good brand for Richmond?

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By: Philip Riggan | Richmond.com
Published: February 14, 2012

Is Richmond still the River City or is it now RVA? Venture Richmond and RVA Creates would probably hope hope/expect that "RVA" would be your answer. We've all got the RVA stickers now, right?

Would you agree that the James River is one of the top regional priorities and “probably the defining feature for our community?,” according to the Capital Region Collaborative, which has been entrusted to encourage an efficiency of efforts for Richmond area localities in regards to development and planning.

I started tracking this branding a year ago and it seems that RVA has taken over. I remember the words of Bob Crum of the CRC (and executive director of the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission) during a presentation last year as he referred to the region several times as "RVA."

Richmond was one of five U.S. cities to be awarded a FourSquare badge on Twitter last week. Then this tweet on Monday from @RVABadge "Submissions are in: Vote. Do you want the badge name suggestion to #4sq to be "RVA" or "River City?"

Even though many of the old guard in Richmond still use it, I think we've crossed over and the unofficial "River City" moniker is old news. The City of Richmond has gone with the branding for RVA On Ice, RVA Green, RVA Downtown, RVA Fireworks and RVA Shoppers' Shuttle, to name a handful.

"RVA" is better than "One City, Our City" from a decade ago, but the more recent "Easy to Love" motto was, well, easier to like. Charlottesville was praised for its "So Very Virginia" motto. Norfolk promotes "Life. Celebrated Daily." Fredericksburg rolls with "Where History Never Gets Old." Does it matter?

"People have said to us we need a brand, an identity for the region,” he said. “This is what separates us as a city. Probably 90 percent of the groups we’ve spoken with point to the James River."

Does Richmond need a brand? If so, are you good with "RVA?" What cities have the best branding? If you need a laugh, check this list of city mottos and monikers (its old and could use an update).