{"id":41263,"date":"2024-10-18T17:22:47","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T16:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=41263"},"modified":"2024-10-18T17:22:47","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T16:22:47","slug":"ihbc-features-heritage-from-the-edinburgh-doorstep-a-plaque-too-far-cockburn-association-decries-netflix-plans-for-branded-promo-plaque-to-rom-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=41263","title":{"rendered":"IHBC features \u2018Heritage from the (Edinburgh) doorstep\u2019: \u2018A Plaque Too Far\u2019 – Cockburn Association decries Netflix plans for branded promo plaque to Rom-Com"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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image for illustration<\/em><\/h6>\n\n

The Cockburn Association has criticised a proposed plaque – with a bright red background and white lettering – to \u2018advertise\u2019 Netflix\u2019s \u2018One Day\u2019, romantic drama series based on the 2009 novel by David Nicholls.<\/h3>\n

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The Cockburn Association writes:<\/p>\n

It is a simple fact of life in the Association\u2019s offices that something pops up which is so off the wall that it sets us into some deep thinking about the issues that arise. In this case, however, it is something so \u2018on the wall\u2019, that it had us head-scratching on how best to address it, and what the real issues are. The huge global film conglomerate Netflix submitted an Advertisement Consent application to the City of Edinburgh Council to erect \u2018Commemorative wall plaque\u2019 at 2 West Port, Old Town, Edinburgh EH1 2JA.\u00a0 We vaguely recalled something very similar in the summer, but in that case, a plaque appeared without consent, caused a local stooshie, and was promptly removed.<\/p>\n

The proposal isn\u2019t to commemorate a historic person or event.\u00a0 Edinburgh has many such plaques across the entire city to the extend that in 1990, the Association published a book \u2018The Writing on the Walls\u2019 to catalogue and describe these.\u00a0 They all tend to be place specific (e.g. \u2018in this house, Chopin lived\u2019 or \u2018on this spot, the old hospital was located\u2019.\u00a0 Some can be themed such as notable homes of suffragettes or places where Robert Louis Stevenson has some connection.<\/p>\n

The difference here is that the proposed plaque, with a bright red background and white lettering, is to advertise Netflix\u2019s \u2018One Day\u2019, a short British romantic drama limited series based on the 2009 novel by David Nicholls. It follows the 14-year relationship of Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew, who meet at a graduation ball after graduating from the University of Edinburgh.\u00a0\u00a0 In total, the vast majority of the series was set outside Edinburgh.\u00a0 The Vennel by the Grassmarket was the setting for a very short segment in the first and last episodes. So, to be blunt, it has nothing to do with Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

How many other novels or films have used Edinburgh as a location or a backdrop?\u00a0 The large arch under Waterloo Place has been seen in everything for historic costume dramas to Trainspotting.\u00a0 It seems as if almost every caf\u00e9 in the Old Town saw JK Rowling pen part of the famous Harry Potter series.\u00a0 Ian Rankin\u2019s Rebus character covers the entire city in all of its various TV adaptations, including the Vennel where the current series locates Rebus\u2019 home.\u00a0 Do all of these deserve a dedicated plaque?\u00a0 Let\u2019s be honest, I too have played the game of \u2018spot the location\u2019 when it comes to productions filmed in the city.\u00a0 I even had the chance of seeing where I live pop up in Netflix\u2019s Eurovision film \u2013 how exciting was that?\u00a0 Not very, actually but it was nice to see.<\/p>\n

For the Cockburn, this proposal extends the discussion into the wider promotional and tourism marketing of the city.\u00a0 Film tourism is a type of tourism where people visit locations that have been featured in movies or TV shows. It\u2019s also known as screen tourism, set-jetting, or film-induced tourism.\u00a0 Think of the impact of the BBC production Monarch of the Glen in the Highlands. Similarly, literary tourism links places and events from literary texts as well as the lives of their authors. It can be a major driver of visitation in areas \u2013 think of Harry Potter and the West Highland Line.\u00a0\u00a0 The novel Kidnapped by RL Stevenson spawned The Stevenson Way \u2013 a 230-mile (370 km) wilderness walk in Scotland centred around real historical events, including the murder of The Red Fox in 1752. These all play an important role in the visitor product.<\/p>\n

However, they do have impacts.\u00a0 Going back to Glenfinnan, news reports in 2023 of the impacts of \u2018Potterites\u2019 visiting Glenfinnan.\u00a0 In the Sunday Post (23 April 2023), NTS\u2019s operations manager for Glenfinnan and Glencoe said, \u2018In 2019 we had 500,000 people come through the doors of our visitor centre. That had probably risen from about 150,000 five years before,\u2019 she says. \u2018That growth has come to a place that was chosen for the films originally for its natural beauty and spectacular scenery. We are simply not geared up for that number of people.\u2019\u00a0 Today, there are similar reports in the media.<\/p>\n

Also, \u2018Selfie-Tourism\u2019 is a trend where travellers visit iconic landmarks not to immerse themselves in history or local culture, but to snap photos for social media. It\u2019s less about personal experience and more about curating an image for Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. UNESCO called for an end to \u2018selfie-tourism\u2019 which was impacting cultural and historical landmarks worldwide which could lead to severe consequences if not addressed (as reported in Travel and Tour World\u2019s website, 30 August 2024, for example).\u00a0 One example is Hallstatt, Austria\u2014a town believed to have inspired Disney\u2019s Frozen where over a million tourists descend each year to capture selfies against the picturesque mountain backdrop.\u00a0 Pressure on local infrastructure has been immense.\u00a0 Another was a small village in Japan, where devotees of selfies (\u2018Selfie-ites\u2019?) cause such mayhem getting that perfect image of Mount Fuji that the locals erected a huge barrier to block of the view.<\/p>\n

Commemorative plaques are very important.\u00a0 They can be a simple and relatively unintrusive way of communicating important information about the heritage and cultural of a place.\u00a0\u00a0 The iconic Blue Plaque scheme started in 1866 and is now run by English Heritage.\u00a0 There are firm guidelines as to what is appropriate.\u00a0 However, there is nothing to prevent other plaques or signs to be erected by third parties or other interpretative panels created, such as those erected by Edinburgh World Heritage in some closes in the Old Town.<\/p>\n

Netflix\u2019s proposals for One Day is something else.\u00a0 Its purpose is marketing, not information sharing. In itself, it is not a significant issue.\u00a0 Guidance on advertising exists but tends to be focused on amenity, design and public safety issues.\u00a0 It makes it clear that within certain parts of the World Heritage Site where the streets are of exceptional architectural and\/or historic interest (e.g. The Royal Mile and George Street) or where advertising would adversely affect important views and vistas or the setting of designed landscapes or listed buildings, signs may not be acceptable.\u00a0 However, there is no guidance on what might be suitable or not.<\/p>\n

So, should Netflix\u2019s be permitted to erect this plaque? The Cockburn\u2019s considered view is not.\u00a0 It has nothing to do with the place or the city; it commemorates no historic or special person or event; it could result in increased public safety issues (due to increased pressure from Film or Selfie Tourists); and finally, the precedent it would set for a wider proliferation of promotional material is considerable.\u00a0 It is a case of unplanned consequences. The City would do well to establish a special advisory committee to bring this all together and provide much useful guidance and assistance (and control).\u00a0 We\u2019d be delighted to assist. However, let\u2019s face it.\u00a0 The purpose of this plaque is to generate publicity for Netflix.\u00a0 The very fact of its proposal and the debate generated already has meant it has been a great success!<\/p>\n

On 30 October, the Cockburn Association is holding a half-day conference on Responsible Tourism.\u00a0 Some of the issues touched in this blog will feature in this event: In-Person Tickets<\/a>; Online Tickets<\/a><\/p>\n

Read more….<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

image for illustration The Cockburn Association has criticised a proposed plaque – with a bright red background and white lettering – to \u2018advertise\u2019 Netflix\u2019s \u2018One Day\u2019, romantic drama series based on the 2009 novel by David Nicholls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[101,18,36,9,29,49,16],"class_list":["post-41263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ihbc-newsblog","tag-advertising","tag-conservation","tag-culture","tag-government","tag-heritage","tag-history","tag-planning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41263"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41265,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41263\/revisions\/41265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}