Branding Berlin: Poor but Sexy?

By Darin Christensen, Duke in Berlin Student Advisory Board

Berlin's political poster-boy Klaus Wowereit (endearingly referred to as “Wowi” by most Berliners) has embarked upon a campaign to ‘re-brand' Berlin. Although the German capitol's eclecticism can not be reduced to a catch-phrase, “Wowi” struck a resounding chord–at least with the international news media–with his intriguing (if for no other reason than Germany's political and cultural Mecca has chosen to market itself in English) slogan: “Poor but Sexy.”

Poor. Berlin–the city that suffered perhaps most acutely from the economic and psychological costs of Germany's division and reunification–faces a financial crisis. The city is $80 million in debt (to put that in perspective: more than the combined debt of Guatemala, Ecuador, and Peru) and grew only sluggishly in the last year despite the influx of money and Menschen brought by the World Cup.

but Sexy. Despite (or perhaps even because of) its financial woes, Berlin has become highly fashionable. For the city's many struggling pensioners, programmers, and artists, materialism and conspicuous consumption are unaffordable social vices. Low industrial density and living costs have kept operating overhead down, allowing some 800 small, independent fashion labels; 400 contemporary art galleries; and 300 new film and TV production companies to set up shop in the last decade. This cultural innovation, inspired in part by financial necessity, has made Berlin a sexy central European destination–Germany's own take on Greenwich Village in the early 80s.

However, this dichotomy–like many others that have been applied to the city in its history–is bedeviled by the details and will likely become a victim of the city's dynamism. Despite their status as distinct political entities, (to paraphrase Peter Schneider) the differences between East and West Berlin were much more fluid and subjective than the subsequent soliloquies about the impermeability of the ‘Iron Curtain' would lead one to believe. Similarly, the poor-sexy categorization also demands closer scrutiny. What Berlin lacks in foreign currency it makes up in multiculturalism; what it lacks in capital is compensated by its wealth of educational (3 major universities), cultural, and political institutions. Relative municipal poverty coexists with socio-cultural prosperity.

Sexy is also an exaggeration…at least for parts of the city. The rusting architectural remains of the GDR's Palace of the Republic, prominently located in the center of the city, provide little aesthetic pleasure. Nor does the prefabricated housing reproduced along the skyline. Berlin is a mix of building genres (Bauhaus to Plattenbau)–more intriguing in their apparent inconsistency than necessarily sexy.

Berlin's many unique qualities can not be captured in a catch-phrase; it is best experienced with an open mind, an eye for nuance, and a sense of irony. It remains a city that, despite its poor economic growth, is changing at an exciting pace but without ever sacrificing its sexy social nonchalance. We invite you to come for the semester and create your own collection of adjectives and anecdotes. We are certain that ‘regrettable' will not make your list.

Last updated: 29 February 2008