This is the presentation I gave at Gardermoen Airport in Oslo in June 2014 to the mayors of the Oslo City region on the benefits of city and region branding and the important role that regional airports can play in brand development and promotion.

1. The Benefits of City and Regional Destination Branding
Attracting People, Investment & Airlines

2. Cities and their regions are the
engines of economic growth
By 2050 75%of the world’s population
will live in cities

3. Why create brand strategies for cities
and regions?

4. Why create brand strategies for cities
and regions?
THEY NEED TO DIFFERENTIATE
THEMSELVES

5. Why create brand strategies for cities
and regions?
THEY NEED TO DEVELOP A
RECOGNISEABLE IDENTITY

6. Why create brand strategies for cities
and regions?
THEY ARE IN COMPETITION

7. Cities compete for…………….

8. Cities compete for investment……….

9. Cities compete for tourists and visitors

10. Cities compete to retain people and
business

11. What is involved in City and Region
Brand Strategy?

12. It’s not about logos and tag lines

13. It’s being strategic about being competitive

14. It’s about identifying your distinctive
offers and experiences

15. It’s about identifying and leveraging
your distinctive & authentic attributes,
assets and attractions

16. It’s being clear on your target audiences

17. You need to improve your ranking in
Global City Indexes

18. Improve your ability to attract talent,
business and institutions

19. Leverage your regional entrepreneurial
capability

20. Leverage regional higher education and R&D

21. Leverage regional heritage and cultural
assets

22. Create and maintain a quality living
environment

23. Be clear on your competitive
advantages and what to say about
them

24. Specify your assets and attributes for
target market audiences

25. Attract and retain talent

26. Tell the story of who is part of your
region’s brand community and why

27. Be crystal clear on your brand’s value
propositions

28. Spell out how you will deliver on your
brand’s value proposition

29. Be clear and consistent on your brand
proposition messaging

30. Select relevant channels to target market
audiences with brand messages

31. Why should Airports be involved?

32. Airports are a principal point of arrival

33. Airports offer the first experience of
the City Region Brand

34. Airports can offer information and
ideas on the city/region offer

35. Airports can showcase attractions of
the City Brand

36. Airports can showcase and hold events

37. Airports can host and promote local
products

38. Airports can host and promote local brands

39. Airports can host and promote local
brands

40. Airports can host new business
arrivals in temporary accommodation

41. Airports can host new business in
permanent locations

42. To Summarise
Airport Contribution to City/region
Brand Offer
• Jobs in airport operations
• Location for inward investment and
business expansion
• Jobs in locating business
• Wage contribution to domestic economy
• Promotion of brand offer and messaging
• Promotion of local products and services
• Provider of brand experiences
• Carrier of brand to other places and
markets

43. Case Study – Cork Region Ireland

44. Case Study – Cork Region Ireland
A Region of 500,000 people

45. Cork Region Brand Strategy
Primarily an economic development tool to
elevate the Cork Region domestically and
crucially internationally; especially to attract and
retain foreign direct investment (FDI), support
indigenous businesses and talented people.

46. Cork Region Brand Strategy

47. Cork Assets, Attributes and Attractions
City and Harbour

48. Cork Assets, Attributes and Attractions
Cork Wild Atlantic Coast

49. Cork Assets, Attributes and Attractions
Cork and Kerry Mountains

50. Cork Assets, Attributes and Attractions
Cork People and their Welcome

51. Cork Assets, Attributes and Attractions
Funding & Support for Business

52. Cork Assets, Attributes and Attractions
Location for successful FDI Companies

53. Cork Assets, Attributes and Attractions
Strong Food and Dairy Sector

54. Cork Assets, Attributes and Attractions
Cork Institute of Technology

55. Cork Assets, Attributes and Attractions
Cork Region Festivals

56. Cork Region – Brand Development
• Formation of Stakeholders Group
• Analysis of current stakeholders marketing and messaging
• Social media assessment of current offer and experience
• Identification of existing value propositions
– assets, attributes, attractions
• Selection of target market audiences
• Development of a Brand Proposition
• Market testing of proposition
– Brand Descriptor (online) and questionnaire
• Brand refinement
• Brand briefing for stakeholders & community
– Brand Book (online)
• Brand management and implementation
– New organisation

57. Cork Region – Brand Stakeholders
• City of Cork
• Cork County Council
• Port of Cork
• Cork Airport
• Cork Chamber of Commerce
• Fáilte Ireland (national tourism agency)
• University College Cork & Cork Institute of
Technology
• South West Region

58. Cork Region – Marketing Audit
Initial Findings
• Region has a good story to tell
• Story lacks focus and consistency
• Many assets, attributes and attractions
• No coordinated messaging & marketing
• Lack of clarity on target markets
• No agreement on core offer/proposition
• No coordinated development of the offer
• No brand strategy underpinning
messaging

60. Cork Brand Essence
“The right mix for your success”
A brand proposition of four value offers to target
market audiences
Sector Theme The Driving Ideas
Economic An energetic place of global and local business networks
Education Innovative and applied learning, research and
development capability
Quality of Life A very liveable cosmopolitan place with a great quality of
life
Visitor Attractions A lively place to visit steeped in shared international and
Irish history and culture

61. Cork Region Brand Summary

62. Brand Strategy – Testing on target markets
Cork Brand Descriptor
www.corkregionbranddescriptor.com

63. To Recap – A city region destination strategy:
• Helps realise the vision for the place
• Identifies, describes and plans the offer
• Organises the delivery of the offer and
desired experience
• Communicates the offer and experience
to residents, consumers, businesses,
investors and visitors

64. To Recap – To create a city brand
strategy you need to…….
• Form a Brand Partnership of key
stakeholders & the community
• Agree a vision for the region
• Identify and leverage the 3 A’s/UVP’s
– assets, attributes and attractions
• Define the experience being offered
• Determine the market for the offer
• Deliver the offer to the target markets
• Market and communicate the offer
• Manage and refresh the offer

65. City Region Brand Building
The Role of the Regional Airport
• Key Stakeholder in the brand process
• Principal target market “welcomer”
– Point of information on brand offer and
experience
• Informs airlines about the brand process
– Share forecasts of growth, investment, exports
and visits
• Showcases local city region brands
– Products and services made locally
• Embodies and exemplifies brand values
– Welcoming and customer care
– Introducer and brand ambassador

66. City Region Place Brand Strategy
Do’s and Don’ts
Brand Development
• Form a Brand Partnership of key stakeholders
• Be clear on your offer and experience
• Define your brand proposition and proof
points
• Define your target market audience
• Create a shared vision for the future
• Engage your community in the brand
• Define the pathway to your desired future
• Start on the journey
• Regularly communicate progress

67. City Region Place Brand Strategy
Do’s and Don’ts
Strategy Implementation
• Clarify the role of the Brand Partnership
– It needs to work strategically as a team
• Create a Brand Implementation Team
• Identify and collect resources for implementation
• Create an “Experience Masterplan”
– Clarify proposals for improvement or extension
– Clarify sources of resources for proposals
– Schedule improvements and extensions
– Agree a communications strategy
– Monitor and evaluate impacts
– Refresh the strategy
Commit for the long haul

68. Regional Place Brand Strategy
Do’s and Don’ts
Brand Communications
Get into the international rankings

69. Regional Place Brand Strategy
Do’s and Don’ts
Brand Communications
• Prioritise target market audiences
• Focus on their communication channels
• Have focussed conversations on their
needs, wants and aspirations
• Present solutions to their challenges
• Use stakeholder networks to reach out
• Support your Brand Ambassadors
• Creatively engage the local media

70. City Region Place Brand Strategy
Communication Do’s and Don’ts
Avoid the temptation to tell everybody
everywhere everything about your offer all of
the time

71. City Region Place Brand Strategy
Communication Do’s and Don’ts
Don’t assume your audiences are all alike

72. City Region Place Brand Strategy
Communication Do’s and Don’ts
Stay on a consistent message

73. City Region Place Brand Strategy
Communication Do’s and Don’ts
Don’t create a dissonant Tower of Babel

74. Thank You
Malcolm Allan
Managing Director
Placematters Ltd
P: +44 1342 829 012
M: +44 7803 356 310
E: malcolm.allan@placematters.co
W: www.placematters.co
Twitter: @MalkyAllan
Blog:
www.malcolmallan-placebrander.blogspot.co.uk
Member UK Academy of Urbanism
Member US Placemaking Leadership Council