The city council is struggling with the iconic city brand I Amsterdam, which in recent years has threatened to become the symbol of an overcrowded and overly commercial city. In December 2018, all the large letters disappeared from the center and the council wants to investigate, together with Amsterdam & Partners and the users of the city brand, whether the city brand is in need of renewal.
“The city has changed in recent years,” the mayor wrote to the city council on Wednesday. ‘We now look at culture, economic growth, internationalization and tourism differently than twenty years ago. We explicitly consider the effects of the visitor economy on the quality of life of the city and the region. Our international agenda has also changed. International companies are welcome, but we no longer encourage their arrival in the same way as we did twenty years ago.’
However, Halsema has somewhat backtracked on previous plans. As early as October, the council decided to phase out I Amsterdam, but that led to many concerns among others at Amsterdam & Partners, which has built up the brand in recent years. I Amsterdam is a household name in the city and visible in all kinds of places.
‘Strong, well-known and acclaimed brand’
That is why Halsema now makes a reservation and writes that she ‘does not want to throw the baby out with the bathwater’. ‘I Amsterdam is a very strong, well-known and admired brand and there must be the opportunity to examine whether it can be ‘reloaded’ or adapted in such a way that it better suits this period.’
Director Geerte Udo of Amsterdam & Partners calls it wise to reconsider the brand strategy after twenty years. “We appreciate that concerns about the earlier decision have been taken seriously.” She also emphasizes that she is ‘proud of the strength and value of I Amsterdam’.
The city logo I Amsterdam has a turbulent history. The so-called city branding slogan was devised by the Amsterdam marketing agency KesselsKramer and launched in 2004. The slogan was modeled on I love NY, a city branding for New York from the 1970s, which is known as one of the most successful city brandings ever.
Future of the city brand
The aim of both campaigns was to attract tourists to the city. In Amsterdam this became such a success that the iconic letters on Museumplein, a hotspot for selfie-taking tourists, became a symbol of Amsterdam, overrun by tourists. In 2018, the council decided that the letters from Museumplein had to disappear. Initially it was the intention that the letters would tour the city districts as a tour, but now the letters are only permanently located at Schiphol and at the Sloterplas, and on occasion at the RAI or Eye.
But the logo is still on banners on the internet and logos on stationery from museums and businesses, and the council will investigate whether the city brand has a future at all. That will no longer be possible before the start of the city’s 750th anniversary, as was initially intended. The council will hold discussions with users in the city and the region, and will conduct research among residents, visitors and companies. This process is expected to be completed at the end of the Amsterdam 750 celebrations in early 2026.
