New Cebu Brand: The Cultural Identity

What is the Cebuano Identity? Is it in the way we extravagantly celebrate our fiestas or the way a guitar or microphone never leave our hands? Does it lie in how the mountainous terrain shapes our mindset about the hardships in life or how agriculture is still part of our livelihood?

The launching of the Cebu Brand at the Ayala Activity Center last November 13, 2015 sought to answer those questions as it showcased the best in Cebu. Initiated by Mega Cebu and CCCI, they were soon supported by the Department of Tourism, Cebu City Tourism Commission, the Tourism Council of the Province of Cebu, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), Department of Tourism 7, Cebu Association of Tour Operators (Cato), Cebu Tours and Travel Association, Network of Independent Travel Agencies, Hotel Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu, GMR Megawide, local government units and so much more.

It was the culmination of 5 months of planning. The Cebu brand (with its logo, colors, animation, and tagline) was a grueling task of making sure each organization agreed to the overall branding. The need for a brand was conceptualized in order for Cebu to have a unique edge in the global market of tourism and business. Cebu: where the heart sings naturally embodies the Cebuano culture of music, festivities, arts and religion. The colors red, green, yellow and blue represent passion, faith, friendliness and resilience respectively.

The institutions and organizations who participated in the grand launching of the event by showcasing their uniquely Cebuano talent were presenters from Benedicto College, USJR Lhuillier Scholars, ABS-CBN talents, the Junior Troubadours, and the Knapsack Dancers.