By Bob Mackin
In the world of branding, perception often trumps reality.
Which means Vancouver’s second post-Stanley Cup Final riot could harm the city’s image for years to come.
There were 150 people injured and 100 arrested in the June 15 riot following the Boston Bruins Game 7 upset of the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. Fifteen vehicles, including two police cruisers, were overturned and/or torched. Windows were broken at numerous retail shops and merchandise looted.
In the June 14, 1994, melée, the total damage to downtown stores was estimated at $1 million. Seventeen years and a day later, the London Drugs at Georgia and Granville alone estimated looters stole $1 million in merchandise. The Bay, Chapters and Sears were among the other big retailers hit.
The images of chaos, much of it perpetrated by people wearing Canucks jerseys, were carried by media outlets around the world.
Emblematica Brand Builders’ Tom Mayenknecht said the incident probably undid all the goodwill and earned reputation from the 2010 Winter Olympics’ wildly popular street celebrations and live sites. Now there are serious questions about the viability of come-one, come-all civic events in downtown Vancouver.
“We’re not the first city to go through public disorder, vandalism and violence in and around a big event. We’re not even the first to have rioting after a sports event; witness downtown Montreal after the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in June of 1993,” Mayenknecht said. “Yet it’s now unfortunate that Vancouver 2010 appears to be the exception to the rule, not the norm. That hurts Vancouver’s brand as a world-class, progressive, compassionate city.”
The city spent at least $1.3 million on extra policing during the two-month playoffs and set up live sites with giant TV screens on Granville Mall and on Georgia, Homer and Hamilton streets with the CBC. The no-alcohol, free admission zones were supposed to prevent a repeat of 1994, but backfired.
“As deep as the regret and embarrassment is, this is the common perception of what we’re all about,” said Tourism Vancouver president Rick Antonson. “It’s wrong, it’s inaccurate but it’s dominating right now.”
In 1994, the Vancouver riot was a big story for two days until a sensational celebrity murder investigation took an odd turn on live TV.
“You know what happened in 1994 that took it off the front page and took it off being the lead item? A guy in California jumped in a white Bronco and started driving down the highway,” Antonson said, referring to O.J. Simpson. “That became everything, 24 hours a day, in all media.”
After the most-watched NHL game in history, news spread rapidly of the 2011 riot via the Internet. CBC and CTV streamed live. The riot became a trending topic on Twitter. Vancouverites woke up to the damage the next morning.
Volunteers, who rallied via social media, arrived with brooms, shovels and garbage bags to clean up the mess. Some were even wearing Canucks jerseys to demonstrate their pride in both the city and team.
“Bloggers are starting to say, “That’s not my Vancouver, let me tell you about my Vancouver,’” Antonson said. “It’s impressive to see, it’s truth-based and will win out over time.”
Still, Mayenknecht warns, the volume of ugly images is far greater than 1994 because of the power and reach of the Internet.
“Internet-era tracking makes this riot much more damaging than that following Game 7 in 1994. The images of overturned police cars, cars on fire and broken shop windows made their way around the world,” Mayenknecht said. “And that stain will stay there, at the click of a computer key.”
Downtown’s first big test is Canada Day at Canada Place. Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association president Charles Gauthier is predicting Vancouver will make a comeback.
“Downtowns of cities are quite resilient,” Gauthier said. “I’m quite confident this is not going to deter or have a negative impact on the brand. It’s not like this is years of instability or days of instability like we see in other countries.”
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