PlaceBranding

What do you think is the brand of the community that you live in? From what you know, does it have difficulty attracting
investment? Do your city officials keep changing slogans in a desperate attempt to see what will stick, thinking fancy
advertising is the ticket to prosperity? Because of poor brands many communities are suffering. Place branding could
help them update their strong points to attract investment and talent. Like corporate branding, place branding draws out
a positioning strategy that differentiates. Recently, I was interviewed by Ed Burghard from the Burghard Group. They just
recently re-branded the State of Ohio, and launched their Brand America initiative.

The goal of any place branding effort is to attract investment to a community on a global scale. The competitive
environment is enormous and efforts to attract and win site selection opportunities makes place branding a critical
strategy. Place branding also carries with it great responsibilities because the brand has to walk the walk. It’s not
enough to profess greatness; you must BE great. Place brands like their corporate and personal cousins have to
mirror their reputations. Businesses looking to relocate are seeking genuine experiences. They crave creative
environments that allow them to prosper, and place branding when handled properly puts infrastructure in alignment
with communication to deliver the goods.

The smart money is on place branding when it comes to answering the question, “Your place, or Mine?” The winner will always be the most compelling brand which is one that allows investment to flourish in a community rich in positive experiences.

Place branding gives economic development professionals a strategy based on differentiation that creates prosperity across many channels. To strengthen and benefit from a positive brand experience, you must first understand the strengths and weaknesses of your place brand. The Branding Experts can help your economic development team develop a brand that builds on its strengths and frequently, reinvigorates your brand by targeting initiatives that will encouragement repeat investment.

What your brand potential is today and what it can be is a deliverable from our process. To be successful a place brand (and any other type of brand for that matter) must always deliver on its promise. That brand promise must be absolutely compelling to your audience and delivered in a clear and consistent way.

Ideally we should have a conversation about your community's economic development and tourism goals to determine what the correct course of action should be to achieve these goals. Contact me at: ed@thebrandingexperts.ca to get the ball rolling.