Place Branding: How To Apply Marketing And Brand Strategies To Countries Regions And Cities

So, what IS place branding * More than graphic design and slogan-led marketing * More than an attractive logo and a catchy phrase * More than "I Love NY" / "Cool Britannia" / "Crafted with Pride in the USA" * It is now a key component of overall development strategy * It creates value for a place by unlocking, developing and communicating the potential of its people, companies, organizations and institutions "Place Branding" is the practice of applying brand strategy and other marketing techniques and disciplines to the economic, social and cultural development of cities, regions and countries. It is a sensitive, high profile and occasionally controversial discipline. The realization that all nations compete against each other to boost exports and attract tourists, skilled workers and foreign investment, has raised the stakes for place branding to new levels, and a new industry segment as well as a new academic field is rapidly emerging as a direct consequence. In "Place Brands" the authors introduce a consistency of approach, of practice, and of standards to the discipline. Often wrongly conflated with tourism, trade or investment promotion, there have been frequent cases of design and PR agencies pandering to the now widespread desire of so many cities and states to "get a brand" simply by purveying expensive logos and slogans, with little long-term benefit to the "client." The authors' approach develops a common purpose for a place by connecting all the stakeholder groups: tourism, inward investment, foreign and domestic policy, culture and heritage, the private sector, and the populations of the place. The book is aimed at decision makers in local, regional and national governments, semi-governmental organizations concerned with the place's brand (e.g. tourism, export promotion, inward investment, culture), and non-governmental organizations. It will also interest academics and students of public policy, urban planning, geography, business studies, economics, political sciences and sociology.