The place where you live and work has a significant impact. Not just on you, but also on companies and investors. Cities and regions are increasingly aware of the crucial role that the perception of different stakeholders plays. A clearly defined, relevant and distinctive image is vital in this context.
Place branding: the city as a brand
Rational and emotional expectations
Place branding and city marketing consists of the appropriation of distinctive characteristics, claims and stories (the branding), which are consistently used in the market, in communication, actions, initiatives and policy (marketing).
Regions, cities and places want their stakeholders to have a clear idea of what they can expect there, both on a rational and the emotional level.
The experience is everything, and must be completely in line with the branding.
Thanks to its many years of experience with the branding and marketing of places, working with local authorities, Think BBDO has the knowledge and methodologies to turn countries, regions and cities into strong brands.
The City of Brussels, a new strong city brand
Over the years, the communication of the City of Brussels has become fragmented. Think BBDO devised a new, coherent brand, to emphasise the unity in the city.
Genk: a successful transformation
Genk needed a distinctive and unique positioning because it was unknown and therefore unloved. Think BBDO developed a brand identity for the city.
C-mine: the transformation of a mining site into a creative hub
C-mine had already determined a focus, but lacked a positioning. Think BBDO developed a clear brand passport, communication plan and creative concept.
De Krook: Ghent’s library as a brand
In 2017, Ghent’s city library moved to the new De Krook site. They asked Think BBDO for advice about their brand policy.