Murray Bridge’s reputation is out of date, so how do we change it?
The river city is in need of a new identity if it is to shake its “meth town” label, local marketing experts say.
Murray Bridge has a reputation problem.
Over the years, the city at the heart of the Murraylands has been called a lot of things: a “s***hole”, the “meth capital of Australia”, a “town so bad that crims move on”.
It has been known as a drug town, or a prison town, or a public housing town.
Even positive stories, like the arrival of an ice cream factory, have been couched in negative language: “meth city to boom town”, suggested a story in Adelaide’s newspaper this July.
Locals have seen significant improvements in the community over the past decade, from the beautification of town entrances to upgrades along the riverfront, accompanied by efforts behind the scenes to fix social problems.
But outsiders’ perceptions of Murray Bridge have not yet caught up to the reality.
A typical response from visitors introduced to the city’s growth plans, at Gifford Hill and elsewhere, is “I didn’t realise”.
Short of taking all 1.9 million South Australians on a bus tour, though: how can Murray Bridge show the rest of the state that the river city isn’t what it used to be?
For an answer, Murray Bridge News sought the advice of some leading local experts in marketing and branding, and put their ideas to the CEO of the local council.
