Place branding: how to position a city or destination with a real strategy

Place branding: how to position a city or destination with a real strategy

Place branding is not a tourism slogan. It's a strategy to get a territory chosen over similar alternatives.

When done well, it attracts visitors, talent, investment, and local pride.

What place branding is and isn't

It is

• defining territorial positioning,
• activating a coherent narrative across channels and experience,
• aligning public and private stakeholders.

It isn't

• a one-off campaign,
• an isolated logo,
• promises with no operational backing.

Key objectives of a place brand

Attract higher-value tourism

Not just visitor volume, but also quality of spend and length of stay.

Capture investment and talent

A clear reputation reduces friction for companies, professionals, and students.

Reinforce local belonging

Without an engaged citizenry, the brand feels artificial.

A practical method to build place branding

1) A real diagnosis

Analyze:

• internal and external perception,
• differentiating strengths,
• reputational barriers,
• benchmark competitors.

2) Positioning and promise

Define a simple proposition:

• who the territory is for,
• what it offers better than others,
• what specific experience it guarantees.

3) Narrative and visual system

The narrative must be usable by institutions, companies, and the community, not just by marketing.

4) Multichannel activation

Combine:

• media,
• digital content,
• public relations,
• events and urban signage.

5) Governance and continuity

Without an operating committee and a 2-3 year plan, everything dilutes.

How to organize a place brand's assets and content

A place branding project generates many pieces: photographs, videos, maps, claims, visual guidelines, presentations, social media pieces, press releases, and materials for partners. If those assets live scattered across folders, emails, and chats, the brand loses consistency before it even reaches the public.

To sustain the narrative over time, it's worth creating a content library with clear permissions, consistent naming, and fast search by campaign, destination, season, or audience. On teams that produce many visual pieces, a tool like Polimake Media helps centralize files and find images or videos by context, not just by name.

Mistakes that ruin place branding

Copying other destinations' messaging

If everything sounds the same, the territory doesn't stand out.

Promising more than you can deliver

Reputation falls when the experience doesn't confirm the narrative.

Excluding local stakeholders

Businesses, culture, and citizens are part of the territorial product.

KPIs to measure results

• evolution of place brand searches,
• positive mentions and share of voice,
• average stay and spend per visitor,
• attraction of investment/projects,
• local perception of pride and trust.

Frequently asked questions

Does it work for small municipalities?

Yes, and it's usually faster to activate if there's a clear niche focus.

When do results show?

Initial signals in months; structural impact in 12-36 months.

Who should lead it?

A mixed team: government, the private sector, and community stakeholders.