the key role of culture in place brand strategy for destinations, cities and nations
DESCRIPTION
"The Role of Culture in City Branding - Lessons for Nation Branding", a presentation given to the 2014 Forum on Cultural Diplomacy in the Commonwealth at the Universal Peace Foundation in London on 15 October 2014. The presentation by Malcolm Allan of Placematters Ltd. explores the vital role that culture plays in building a place brand and explores its contribution to the Cork Region brand strategy in Ireland, unveiled in October 2014.TRANSCRIPT
The Role of Culture in City Branding
Lessons for Country & City Brand Strategy
Content of presentation
• My take on place & destination branding
• The important role of culture in city &
nation branding
• What can we learn from city branding?
• Communication lessons for country
branding
What is place branding about?
Some places think that place branding is about a
new logo and catchy tag line
What is place branding about?
Historically place branding has been concerned with
selling places to tourists
What is place branding about?
And it’s also typically been concerned with selling
places to inward investors
What is place branding about?
And in the past many place brand
strategies have ignored internal domestic
audiences
What is place branding about?
Brand strategies are increasingly about the
retention and attraction of talent
What is place branding about?
Brand strategies are increasingly about the
retention and attraction of business
What is place branding about?
Its about planning, improving and
developing the offer and experience
What is place branding about?
It’s about communicating
the Offer and Experience
What is place branding about?
It’s about communicating to target market
audiences (internal & external)
What is place branding about?
It’s about telling the story of your place
What is place and destination branding?
It’s about where you have come from
What is place and destination branding?
It’s about where you are now
What is place and destination branding?
It’s about where you are going to
It’s about where you are going to
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
Culture is a powerful attractor
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
Culture is a powerful differentiator of place
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
Culture is a powerful definer of place
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
What do we mean by culture?
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
Is it limited to the arts?
Or is it more than that?
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
Images of people in place
transmit culture
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
Food transmits culture
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
Architecture transmits culture
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
Textiles transmit culture
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
Events transmit culture
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
City and national governance transmit
culture
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
How we educate our people and care for their welfare transmits our culture
What’s the role of culture in place branding?
How we house our people
transmits our culture
What can we learn from city branding?
What can we learn from city branding?
We need to build partnerships
We need to be inclusive
What can we learn from city branding?
We need to build associations
between people in place
What can we learn from city branding?
We need to foster & encourage
involvement
What can we learn from city branding?
We need participative leadership
What can we learn from city branding?
We need to harness
the private sector
What can we learn from city branding?
We need to harness
the power of community
What can we learn from Cork’s
approach to place brand strategy?
Where is Cork?
Cork Region brand strategy
Objectives
• Elevate Cork/increase awareness
• Attract & retain talented people
• Attract inward investment
• Support sustainable business growth
• Increase employment opportunities
• Attract visitors and their spend
• Generate wealth for Cork & Ireland
Cork - overall brand proposition
A powerful mix for your success
(In the best small country in the world to do business)
Cork brand strategy
Essentially an economic development brand
proposition
Cork Brand Attributes
The cultural offer attracts tourists, learners, workers,
investors and also retains people
Cork case study
Traditional culture supports the economic
brand proposition
Cork brand strategy
Culturally rich heritage and offer
Cork Opera House
Cork – Everyman Theatre
Cork – pub culture
Cork – live music in pubs
Cork – live street music
Cork – Gaelic sports culture
Cork – cosmopolitan food culture
Cork – a culture of conservation
Cork – a culture of innovation
Cork – a culture of independent thinking
Cork – a live Gaelic culture
Cork Cultural Assets - Festivals
Cork – key cultural brand messages
Core Brand Proposition
Cork is “Big on Life”
Cork – key cultural brand messages
Cork is a great place to move to for work and
to live, with the bonus of a vibrant and
varied cultural offer
Cork – key brand messages
Cork offers you insights into traditional
Irish culture
Cork – Quality of life brand messages
You can meet on a mountain
top after work, sail around a
harbour, along the Atlantic
coast or visit an island by boat
Cork – Quality of life brand messages
We conserve and protect our natural assets for the
benefit of future generations
Cork – Quality of life brand messages
Cork is a place that puts you at ease
Cork – Quality of life brand messages
Cork is a place that captures
your heart and soul through
its spirit
Communicating culture in place brands
Culture differentiates your place
Communicating culture in place brands
Events locate your place in the mind
Communicating culture in place brands
Live culture characterises your place
Communicating culture in place brands
Your people transmit your culture
Be clear and consistent on your messaging
One story does not tell all
One image and one identity rarely do a
place justice
Be focussed on your messaging
Don’t assume your audiences are all alike
Avoid the temptation to tell everybody everywhere everything about your offer all of the time
Don’t create a dissonant Tower of Babel
A important thought to take away
Regarding nation branding and culture…..
“What countries need is for people around the world to
have a richer, deeper, more complex, more nuanced, more
democratic, more chaotic, more human view of their land,
their population and their civilisation—not a fabricated
stereotype to replace the inherited stereotype.”
Simon Anholt
Thank You
Malcolm AllanManaging Director
Placematters Ltd
P: +44 1342 829 012
M: +44 7803 356 310
W: www.placematters.co
Twitter: @MalkyAllan
Blog:
www.malcolmallan-placebrander.blogspot.co.uk
Member UK Academy of Urbanism
Member US Placemaking Leadership Council