Place Branding A Winning Strategy

							                                                                                                               Public Relations


                                                                                         INSIGHTS
                                                                               Reputation. | Relationships. | Results.



                             Place Branding                     A Winning Strategy


C
         ompetition is fierce. Buyers have Be Future-Focused: People aspire for          Publications specifically about place
         choices. They choose brands       the better day. Give them hope to find it     branding have been around for a decade
         that promise them something and in your place.                                  or more. A simple web search on place
         deliver on the promise.                                                         branding provides many options.
                                           Commit to the Process: It takes time. It
In today s flatter world, competition is takes patience. It requires all voices and      As for specifics, it depends. What s the
increasing for cities and regions to       views to be at the table from the             budget? What s the purpose? Who s
attract and retain talented workers and    beginning, even those with whom you           the target? How broad is the effort?
businesses that employ them. Talent        don t agree.                                  How many NGOs are included? Are your
increasingly chooses place and                                                           elected officials involved? Can you get
perception of place influences choice.                                                   some pro bono support from experts in
                                                                                         your market with place branding
Place branding is finding its place in the
                                                                                         experience?
tool box because it works; it
differentiates a place in ways that matter
                                                                                         These are all factors. There are others.
most to today s worker.
                                                                                         This is an area in which you really need
Place branding helps to build community                                                  professional guidance - someone who
consensus, motivate collective action,                                                   can oversee and direct the process and
inspire emotion and awaken pride                                                         advise the leaders of the effort at critical
things that matter to workers who want                                                   junctures.
to be someplace rather than
                                                                                         Place branding shows community caring,
 anyplace.                                   Be Creative: Translating how your           cohesion and commitment; qualities that
                                              place is different may mean using your     matter to workers who are in the
As brand experts have taught us, there
                                             brain differently. Creative exercises can   position to make choices. In an
are principles and processes that make
                                             pull out hidden truths, ideas and           increasingly competitive and flatter
place branding work.
                                             inspirations. Getting there may not         world, it can be the difference between
Place Branding Principles:                   follow the straight line you have come to   winning and losing to grow a regional
                                             expect in your business.                    economy.
Be Purposeful: Have a reason to invest
the time, energy and resources to do it      Be Patient: Use a calendar, not a watch,    Vehr Communications, LLC: Reputations.
right. Corporate attraction and              to measure success. The process takes       Relationships. Results. That s PR. That s what Vehr
retention, talent recruitment, tourism       time.                                       Communications does. Firmly anchored in
promotion and conventions/meetings                                                       Cincinnati and with strong global connections,
                                                                                         Vehr Communications provides strategic
attraction are common reasons.               Be Disciplined: Place branding requires
                                                                                         communications services to a broad range of
                                             the discipline to be creative, speak with
                                                                                         private and public sectors. To learn more, please
Be Truthful: You are who you are.            clarity and do it consistently over time.   visit www.vehrcommunications.com or call
Branding can t and won t change it. You                                                  513.381.8347.
can, though, emphasize strengths or          Place Branding Process: Entire books
minimize weaknesses in authentic and         have been written about the process of
believable ways.                             branding products and services.

 VEHR Communications, LLC | 700 Walnut Street, Suite 205 | Cincinnati, OH 45202 | T: 513.381.8347 | W: www.vehrcommunications.com