Ludacris and Hawks Owner Ressler Call for Stronger Atlanta Branding
Atlanta’s collaborative spirit and thriving community are key to its business potential, according to music icon Ludacris and Atlanta Hawks owner Tony Ressler, who spoke at ADWEEK’s Brandweek conference. Both emphasized the city’s underappreciated strengths and a need for more focused brand building.
Ludacris, who moved to Atlanta as a teenager from Illinois, highlighted the city’s diverse and collaborative creative scene as pivotal to its rise in the music industry. He noted that opportunities often originated “on a street level,” gaining traction before appearing in wider marketing. Today, he sees Atlanta as “a hub for all things,” with the film industry now mirroring the music industry’s success by leveraging the city’s creative resources.
Ressler echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the community-focused nature of owning a sports franchise. “When you buy a basketball team, it’s just a different type of business than most, because it really is a community asset,” he explained. He pointed to the impact of upgrading Hawks facilities on the downtown area, which sees between 20 million to 25 million visitors annually. Ressler also stressed the link between facility quality and attracting top talent, stating that “second-tier facilities don’t attract the best players.”
Despite the city’s potential – Ressler noted Atlanta boasts the world’s biggest airport and top-tier universities and colleges, serving as “the capital of the Southeast” and a draw for Fortune 500 companies – both speakers agreed Atlanta’s brand needs bolstering. “Atlanta should be doing a little bit better, I must say, in brand building,” ressler stated, adding he didn’t fully appreciate the city’s breadth of offerings when he moved there 11 years ago.
Looking forward, both Ludacris and Ressler are focused on legacy and empowering the next generation. Ludacris aims to share his business acumen, while Ressler wants to equip younger Atlantans with the tools to build their own brands and access capital for their ventures.
