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Gerrard India Bazaar DNA PlacePrint

A Creative and Actionable Prescription for Breathing Life Back into the “Little India” of Toronto

May 2011

It’s not about making places better. It’s about making places matter!

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A reputation cannot be invented.

It can only be earned!

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Contents

Why PlacePrint? 4

Objective 5

Current Story that Dominates about Gerrard India Bazaar 6

Downward Economic Trend 7

Great Example to Follow (Koreatown) 8

Reasons for Depletion 9

Unifying DNA of Little India 10

BECK Framework and Symbolic Actions 11

Brand Identity 12

Experience Economy 14

Customer Service 22

Know Where It Is 24

Final Words 28

Project Description 29

Appendices 30

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Why PlacePrint?

Standing out from the crowd, and standing for something, has never been more important for places. Places big or small are all fiercely competing for attention, business, visitors, shoppers, talent, resources and the like.

Places need to answer these fundamental

questions for the world: Who are we? Why us? And why do we matter? Those places

which clearly answer these questions and meaningfully differentiate themselves in the crowded marketplace (Toronto, the city of neighborhoods) will have much greater

opportunities to prosper culturally and economically and overall be the best and highest they can be.

Your PlacePrint book is a meaningful and purposeful interpretation of your community, captured in a narrative platform. The story of a place can be different things to different people. But the important aspect is that these interpretations are derived from the same platform. The proposed ‘on brand’ symbolic actions breathe life into the story and make it stronger, truer and easier to spread.

‘A place should reveal its personality, emphasize its sense of purpose and play to its strengths.’- JT Singh

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To align the identity of the place with its experience that is

perceptibly authentic. And to replace current unhelpful

perceptions with more compelling ones and to create

certain fresh perceptions where there were none before.

Objective

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Current Story that Dominates about Gerrard India Bazaar

If you ask a South Asian (Bengali, Sri Lankan, Indian, or a Pakistani) where is Gerrard India Bazaar and how to get there? Chances are they will know-especially if the person’s age is 30+. But if you ask a non-South Asian, chances are they probably have never heard of ‘Gerrard India Bazaar’ and neither do they know how to get there. They all say “If I knew about it and how to get there, I would definitely go there!” So clearly there is an awareness problem.

It was more helpful to use the term “Little India” because it was more familiar and easier to understand for people than “Gerrard India Bazaar” When asked, what are the first images that come to mind when you hear “Little India”? The dominant answers were: ‘bright colors and Indian food’ amongst non-South

Asians and ‘Back home feeling and shopping’ amongst South Asians.

Overall, the most relevant insights we extracted from speaking to people were that:

1. Gerrard India Bazaar is an odd name; they all preferred “Little India”. (The word ‘bazaar’ confused them)

2. Most didn’t know Gerrard India Bazaar exists or where it is or how to get there.

3. Many who have been there expressed how the market experience could be a lot more ‘Indianish’ and authentic.

4. Many South Asians expressed how Gerrard India Bazaar was inconvenient, a hassle to go to and has less than good customer service. They also expressed that GIB doesn’t have that “home away from home” feeling anymore.

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Gerrard India Bazaar has been struggling and losing its appeal to visitors. Ask any business owner and they will tell you that business has been going downhill more-less starting from the year 2000 till today. Most business owners we spoke to are pessimistic about the future of Gerrard India Bazaar. This negative trend is bound continue if no creative actions are taken to counter it.

Year 2000

Year 2011

Ongoing negative trend

Year 2011

Year 2000

Future It is possible to stop this downward trend and bring back economic prosperity.

Potential

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Koreatown (Great example to follow)

Koreatown in Toronto was ranked first place as the greatest little neighborhood in the world by Lonely Planet this year. This is huge recognition since Lonely Planet is the world’s most respected travel information company. Koreatown without a doubt deserves this since it truly provides an authentic and stimulating experience for all visitors.

If Koreatown right here in Toronto can achieve this, we believe “Little India” on Gerrard St can also achieve this kind of global recognition.

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Multitude of Reasons for GIB’s Depleting Economy

• Tougher border crossing from the USA after 9/11 and also there are now many Indian markets in US cities.

• The rise of online shopping

• South Asians only account for 10 percent of the residential population. As a result the market is heavily dependent on visitors.

• Many South Asians now live in the suburbs and numerous ethnic markets are also situated there to conveniently cater to them.

• The state of the economy.

• Parking issues

• Less than good customer service experience

• Perceived as an inconvenient place to go shopping

• GIB is not situated as close to the downtown core as the other popular ethnic districts (Little Italy, Chinatown, Little Portugal and etc) As a result less people know about it and how to get there.

• Weak brand identity (many people don’t understand what “Gerrard India bazaar” is perhaps because bazaar is more of a cultural word.)

• Lacks a stimulating atmosphere and aesthetic appeal.

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The reason people come to Little India on Gerrard st is to experience the cultural diversity of India. There is a mishmash of Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Bengali shops. All these countries are part of the Indian sub-continent and from a cultural standpoint, they all share similar cultural values and traditions. The culture of the surrounding countries of India also exists within India, for example Sri Lankan culture is prevalent in Southern India, Pakistani culture in North West India, and Bengali culture in East India. Shared culture is what brought all these diverse businesses together and it is also what makes Little India on Gerrard st so unique.

Unifying DNA of Little India

Aimed at South Asians

Aimed at non South Asians and younger generation South Asians Aimed at all

The three key messages are different interpretations of Little India’s DNA because a place can mean different things to different people. “Home away from Home” appeals to South Asian immigrants because they always yearn to feel the ‘back home’ nostalgic feelings. “Local Cultural Vacation” appeals to Non South Asians and younger generation South Asians who are not so familiar with India and want to experience a foreign county right here in Toronto. And “Spice up your day/life” appeals to everyone. We all want to add more color and flavour to our life-otherwise life would be boring and bland.

The DNA and the key messages are not slogans or taglines. The unifying DNA is a narrative which conveys why people should choose Little India on Gerrard st and why Little India matters!

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Gerrard India Bazaar has enormous potential to reinvigorate itself and bring back a successful economy. Since the bazaar heavily relies on visitors who are already spoiled with other options, GIB has to meaningfully differentiate itself from the crowd and earn a reputation that is inherently so authentic, irresistible and unforgettable that it is simply self propelling. The following framework ‘BECK’ addresses four keys issues along with proposed actions that have the power to step up GIB’s game and give it ‘remarkability’, which simply means that it will be worthy to be remarked upon, which fuels word of mouth and free publicity.

B Brand Identity

E Experience Economy

C Customer Service

K Know ‘Where’ It Is

The following proposed symbolic actions are meant to make the story of Little India stronger, truer, more easier to spread and more ‘Indianish’. The portfolio of ideas that follow doesn’t exactly constitute a grand strategy but rather it is an attempt to spark the imagination and experimentation with multiple creative approaches that can be rapidly prototyped, tested, and communicated as part of a more definitive strategy. Your PlacePrint is meant to be a working document where new ideas can be continually added through co-authorship.

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Brand Identity

The official name of the market is “Gerrard India Bazaar” but it is most commonly referred to as “Little India”. We also heard the name “Little South Asia”. Almost everybody we spoke to simply preferred “Little India” opposed to Gerrard India Bazaar.

From a branding standpoint, the multiple names are consequently weakening the brand of the market. A brand identity should be simple, memorable and positive. Many non-South Asians looked confused when we used the word ‘bazaar’. Bazaar is a cultural word which everyone is not familiar with and as a result it weakens the image of the BIA. Moreover, when we used the term “South Asia” many people imagined countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and so forth. But not India!

So, we strongly suggest that “Little India” should be the only name! It has always been Little India and it should only be Little India, similarly to how it’s only Little Italy. “Gerrard India Bazaar” should be completely wiped out in order to stop weakening the brand of the BIA. However the festivals may continue to be called “Festival of South Asia” since it’s only a short event and is not bigger brand than the market itself.

For the remainder of this report we will not use the term “Gerrard India Bazaar” anymore, but

rather “Little India”

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Now let’s look at visual identity. This project isn’t about logos and taglines by far; however, the visual identity of Little India is so hurting, that we felt compelled to address it. On the right is the current logo and needless to mention, it’s dull, uncreative and meaningless. It completely fails to convey a vibrant market that Little India could and should be. When people think of India:

bright colors, vibrant culture and decorativeness come to mind. But the current logo looks like something that would be used for Governmental trade mission talks between India and Canada. In the matter of fact, the India-Canada Chamber of Commerce had a very similar logo in the past until recently changing it.

The new visual identity should have a plethora of vibrant colors and convey the message “to spice up you life”

and authentically experience the Indian sub continent.

Logo design doesn’t have to be an expensive exercise. You can capitalize on the abundant student talent in Toronto. These students are dying to expand their portfolio and are more than willing to design the logo at a considerable discount.

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Experience Economy. (This is the most important aspect of BECK.)

The experience economy refers to the notion that people are seeking a different kind of value return from their disposable income, which is increasingly taking the form of an experience, rather than a physical product. It is becoming increasingly important for destinations to convey the emotional benefits they can offer visitors in terms of feelings and experiences, rather than just present them with a list of things to do (eat, shop, etc). This means telling a story about the destination, which strikes an emotional chord with potential visitors and stays with them.

It’s all about the streetscape!

“People are drawn to (or repelled by) places according to their physical, aesthetic, and emotional experience of the street. The street is how we process place, and it provides the image we carry with us. If we think of ourselves in Rome, we see ourselves in the Via Condotti — we don’t envision the abstract entity of “Rome.” If we think of ourselves in Sydney, we remember the view of the Opera House as we walked along George Street, the central artery that winds through the Rocks. The street provides the central building block of our place memory, reconciling a larger entity with the scale of human perception.”-Charles Landry, Author of “The Creative City”

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Currently the streetscape of Little India is significantly lacking the ‘sense of place’ and authenticity that it could and should have. Besides the window displays, the names of the stores, and very little public art that symbolizes the Indian sub continent, the BIA pretty much looks like any other ordinary street.

Breathing life into the streetscape doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg!

There are places that gain mature pulling power without huge investments in infrastructure or marketing: they are simply

magnetic ideas that seize the imagination and are compelling by their very nature.

For example, the pike place fish market in Seattle, which was just a fish market for about a hundred years until one fishmonger decided to get his shop assistants to juggle with their fish: it’s now the city’s main attraction and draws tourists (and customer) from all over the USA.

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Here are some aesthetic displays currently in the BIA. These are amazing, but there needs to be much more of these throughout the streetscape!

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Painting Little India Project! Isla Mujeres, a small island off the coast of Mexico which was close to destitution until they decided to paint every building on the island using a palette of authentic Mexican colors. The “painting the island” project gained an enormous amount of free global publicity: American cruise ships now regularly stop at

the island, and the place has an economy!

Many people that we spoke to mentioned that the first image that comes to mind when they hear “Little India” is “bright colors”.

This is because colors are traditionally celebrated in South Asia, especially bright colors. Bright colors are used everywhere from house decorating, fashion, food and so forth.

The problem with Little India on Gerrard St. is that you hardly notice any bright colors! The Chandan Fashion building (bottom left picture) is the most iconic building in whole of Little India and it’s all because of the bright coloured paint job! We highly recommend that Little India collectively gets a paint job using a palette of bright colors only! To paint the exterior of a building is relatively inexpensive and can be done very quickly.

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Here are some of many buildings that can use a brighter paint job. If these buildings and many others take part in the “Paint Little India project”, it will certainly have a great impact on the atmosphere and charm of the market. It should be done immediately!

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Here are the same buildings from the previous page painted in brighter colors using Photoshop. In reality the newly painted buildings will look even brighter and better than these modified photos.

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There are also many spaces in Little India that can use Indian themed public art. For example there are many planters on the street and if every single one can be painted with an Indian theme, it would look amazing! Moreover, there many other blank walls that could use a beautiful Indian themed mural and also this is a great way to get rid of some of the ugly graffiti and prevent further graffiti since graffitists usually target blank walls only.

It doesn’t have to be expensive public art. A great way to get public art is by hiring art students perhaps from OCAD (Ontario College of Arts and Design). These students are dying to get projects and in many cases are more talented than other professional artists who charge much higher fees than students ever would.

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Sidewalk Floor Art

Another space that can be used to give the BIA a charming Indian touch is the sidewalks. In India it’s called “rangoli” which is a traditional decorative folk art. They are decorative designs on floors of living rooms and courtyards during Hindu festivals and are meant as sacred welcoming areas. The purpose of rangoli is decoration and it is also thought to bring good luck. Usually colourful chalks are used to create rangoli; however, we suggest that a few beautiful designs should be painted permanently along the sidewalks of the market. It would give an

authentic touch to the place and will be appreciated by all visitors.

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The possibilities are endless if you are imaginative! So here’s the thing, the streetscape of little India should be authentically decorated to the maximum effect! India is a very cultured and decorative part of the world and Little India on Gerrard st should exemplify that. There are numerous creative ways to authenticate the streetscape and there is no reason why it can’t be done! This should be the BIA’s primary focus because aesthetic appeal is what will meaningfully differentiate the market from the rest.

Why not have Indian style bowls on the sidewalks…

Why not have small Indian style bells hanging on the trees…

Why not have Indian style benches on the sidewalks which can be taken back inside at night…

The possibilities are endless…

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Customer Service

Based on our impressions and also what we were hearing from many shoppers is that customer service in many of the businesses has much room for improvement. Customer service is a big deal in India, and it’s strange to experience not the greatest customer service in Little India here in Toronto.

There’s a great quote by Mahatma Ghandi.

A customer is the most important visitor on our premises; he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him. He is doing us a favor by giving us an opportunity to do so.-Mahatma Gandhi

This quote should be pasted on every BIA newsletter, email and all of the circulations. This quote

should also be given to every business owner along with the following acronym “DESI”.

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Be DESI

This behaviour guiding acronym for customer service in Little India is memorable and practical. The word “desi” refers to the people, cultures, and products of the whole Indian subcontinent and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their Diaspora. D-Dazzle: It should be the ultimate goal of every business in Little India to astonish every

customer with delight. This should be done through store ambiance and through dealing with customers in the most courteous way possible.

E-Educate: Many visitors don’t know anything about South Asian cultures, so it’s important

that employees act as enthusiastic educators on South Asian cultures and products.

S-Smile: (smile with your mouth and eyes) We were surprised to observe how grumpy some of

the business employees were and many of them didn’t even say “hi” or smile at customers.

I-Inspire: All businesses should act as ambassadors of the Indian sub-continent. The aim is to

inspire customers about Indian culture and way of life to the point that they want to immediately book a vacation to visit the real India.

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Know where it is

Our research reveals that most people who are non-South Asians have no clue where “Gerrard India Bazaar” or “Little India” is located and how to get there. On the other hand, many people knew where Little Italy, Greektown, or Chinatown was…but not Little India. This is a major problem that needs to be addressed! The symbolic actions proposed in regards to the experience economy are strong enough to generate awareness and grab attention of people and spread word of mouth. However below are some specific creative ways to make it easier for people to know “where” Little India is located?

Firstly, we recommend trying to always use the phrase “Little India on Gerrard St”. It is smart to associate the street with the brand name of the market. The nearest subway station should also be associated with Little India more often. We found that other successful BIA’s had close links with their brand name and the street or subway they were located on in the minds of people. For example Little Italy was closely associated with College St or Koreatown with Christie station or Chinatown with Spadina St and so forth.

“If I knew where Little India was, I would definitely go there!”

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Coxwell station and Greenwood station Coxwell and Greenwood station are the nearest subways to Little India. It is only about a five minute bus ride from these stations to get to the destination. Most people we spoke to prefer this route. Tourists who usually come from the downtown core find the subway route especially convenient. It would be smart to put up posters at these stations to help guide people and increase associations with Little India and these subways.

Here is an example of some space where a poster of Little India can be posted at Coxwell station.

Here is the spot where people wait for the 22 bus which takes you to Little India. A poster on the brick wall would be beneficial.

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Bollywood Themed Streetcar Sandeep Agrawal (faculty member of the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Ryerson University) and his student’s created a report about “Culturally responsive urban design”. There is one creative recommendation in the report which can help boost the awareness of “where” Little India is located and should seriously be considered by the BIA.

“We suggested using Toronto Transit Commission streetcars to promote the Bazaar. Streetcar route 506 crosses the Bazaar and extends to the far end of the city where it meets with busy subway stations, the city's downtown core, and the University of Toronto campus. The TTC sells advertising that nearly covers the entire car. Our suggestion was to sponsor a streetcar and cover it to appear like an Indian-style cycle rickshaw. This streetcar advertising would promote the Bazaar throughout the city and, at the same time, deliver visitors to the Bazaar.”

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Entrance

When you get on the 22 bus at Coxwell station and then five minutes later get off at the corner of Gerrard and Coxwell, you have no idea where Little India is if it’s your first time arriving there.

As you can see in the upper right picture, it’s a dull welcome to Little India. Unlike the Chinatowns of the world, you instantly notice you are passing by or arriving at Chinatown because of the beautiful gateways and other authentic community markers.

In the lower right, we show a picture of the Little India in Singapore. They have these artistic banners which really liven up the streets. It would be amazing if Little India on Gerrard could do something similar. The great part of this idea is that it’s not an actual gateway which would be rather expensive and difficult to build. Instead it is something like a banner which isn’t as expensive and can easily be assembled.

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Final Words…

The value that visitors logically expect from Little India on Gerrard St. is to

experience the authentic cultures of the Indian sub-continent. “Value” is “the

promise and delivery of an experience.” And if your brand promises an experience,

your destination better deliver!

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Project Description A great deal of inquiry, considerations, and thought went into formulating this report. The first step consisted of research from publications, white papers, newspapers, books, and statistical sources. While this provided a “black and white” picture, the “color” was filled with insights derived from an outside perspective:

• Less formal interviews with ‘man-on-the-street’ and also in-depth interviews with local opinion leaders (politicians, business leaders, BIA members, civic organizations, and etc.)

• Street surveys with locals young and old, visitors and people living outside the neighborhood

• Deep tissue exploratory research mostly on foot and public transit and sometimes the car. To truly experience a place, I do it the

Jane Jacobs way which is to walk, walk and walk. I am rather militant about the importance—the necessities—of exploring like this. Until I learn a place with my feet, I never really feel like I know it. I went everywhere in Gerrard India Bazaar and took a tonne photos, notes and meaningfully mingled with the locals along the way to get a real sense of the place.

Once it was creatively determined on what could and should be the story, then practical symbolic actions were devised that can make the story stronger, truer and easier to spread.

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Appendices Resources and bibliography: People and paper

People Many people shared their insights and perspectives with us. We spoke to businessmen, employees, BIA members, residents, professors, and man-on-the-street with in the BIA area and beyond. Many thanks to all!

Paper (online and print)

Gerrard India Bazaar. Web. 09 Apr. 2011. <http://www.gerrardindiabazaar.com/>.

"Gerrard Street (Toronto)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 09 Apr. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrard_Street_(Toronto)>.

Brouse, Cynthia. "Indian Summer." Toronto Life. Sept.

2005. Web. 10 Apr. 2011

<http://www.cynthiabrouse.com/writing/indian_sum

mer.pdf>.

Bauder, Harold. Toronto’s Little India:. Rep. Ryerson, 2010.

Web. 2 Apr. 2011.

<http://digitalcommons.ryerson.ca/cgi/viewcontent.

cgi?article=1002&context=immigration>.

Agrawal, Sandeep. OPPI | Ontario Professional Planners Institute. Rep. Web. 09 May 2011.

Vukets, Cynthia. "Diverse Businesses Could Breathe

Life into Struggling Little India." Toronto Star. 21 Feb.

2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. Anholt, Simon. Places. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. Hildereth, Jeremy. "Place Branding at Arms Length." Palgrave, 2010.

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JT Singh is a think and do tank providing innovative and actionable insights. We help places evade sameness by enabling

them to become relevant, unique and productively

creative.

1(416) 893-2170 jtsingh@inbox.com

WWW.JTSINGH.COM

This project was commissioned by TABIA