How to succeed with place branding

We at Novus help many companies and organizations understand their brands and not infrequently you get to measure a brand for a place! We understand that place branding play a critical role in attracting everything from new residents to foreign direct investment, fostering entrepreneurship and attracting tourists and talent.

We have learned that place branding is mostly about bridging gaps between the sense of place, the experience that visitors (tourists, potential investors and traders) get when they visit and the general perception that people have of a place.

We want to share our learnings and here are three tips for you who want to increase the appeal of a place brand:

1. Find out what’s unique about your location

Branding for a place is above all about the special nature of the place. What makes your location unique when you compare it to other locations? Which characteristics are so important that they can be equated with core values? What do you want and can you promise to your visitors, residents and other stakeholders? Prioritize based on the attractiveness of the properties and set up a strategy for communication.

2. Involve others

Creating a place brand is not a top-down exercise but will only produce the best results when created and sustained through a strong coalition of political leadership, business, civil society and target markets (investors, travel industry, press). What is important are precisely the collaborations that create the place’s authenticity – tailored and co-creating place experiences in practice.

3. Create a brand strategy that everyone can become a part of

Building a place brand is not about a good slogan, logo and fancy advertising campaigns. In the experience economy, an integrated place branding strategy is needed to capture the hearts and attention of visitors. This means that the place brand should be supported by policies, innovations, events, structures, investments and symbolic actions.

By having a sound place branding strategy, based on a positive, credible and financially reliable image, one can increase the potential for foreign direct investment. In other words, a strong place brand can also provide plenty of other financial benefits.

Do you want to know more about how to think about a place brand?

Contact:

Ieva Englund
Customer Development Advisor
ieva.englund@novus.se

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