Discussions about place branding often focus overly on reaching potential new visitor audiences. At the People & Places Partnership, we believe that it is vital to think ‘local first’ in place branding. The starting point for brand development should be working with key local stakeholders including businesses and residents. This ‘local first’ approach to applying place branding principles can help underpin a boost in residents’ pride in place as a necessary forerunner to appealing to wider audiences.
Local engagement and promotion first
Our approach uses five widely accepted principles of place branding and applies them first with local stakeholder groups and residents. Local stakeholder groups need to be engaged in planning and delivering the evolution of a place in a way that leads to a think ‘local first’ in place branding. Local stakeholder groups can have an important role in developing and applying an understanding of a town’s identity and branding guidelines. This helps to thoroughly understand the town’s identity and develop a brand that can then be pitched to a wide variety of audiences.
A think ‘local first’ in place branding will also aid promotion to key audiences. Often there will sections of the local demographic -such as families or younger residents- who are not using a town or city centre. It is important to use the opportunity to understand their perceptions and needs before pitching a place more widely.
Applying five brand development principles
Here we outline five accepted development principles that the People and Places Partnership apply in joint place branding work with our associates at Line and Dot Creative. These five principles help place leaders to consider how they improve a place’s identity and brand in a way that is rooted in the local community and leads to a boost in pride in place. The five principles can then be used to honestly communicate and improve a wider audiences’ knowledge and opinions of the place.
1. Distinctiveness
Place branding for us is above all about understanding the distinctiveness of place. It involves first capturing the distinctive qualities of a place that residents can identify with, regardless initially of any perceived marketing advantages. From this understanding of a town’s distinctive identity, it is possible to distil what is special or possibly unique about a town or city when compared to other places in the eyes of different target markets. In brand development terms, it helps identify the core qualities/values of the place and its brand. It begins to identify what is the brand offer or promise to different types of customers
2. Authenticity
A broad basis for a strengthened place brand is established by involving stakeholders. This combines with the understanding of distinctiveness to establish an identity that is authentic and resonates with local stakeholders. This stakeholder involvement should include the identification of the town’s identity or sense of place that can inspire the key characteristics of the place brand; finding the link between existing perceived and projected images in relevant markets (i.e. what do people currently think and say about a place and how can this honestly evolve); and designing authentic, customised and co-created place experiences in practice.
In other words, authenticity in place branding is about people co-creating things that matter to them. In this way the created brand reflects the perceptions and potential of a place in a way that resonates with stakeholders and that can be applied with little or no involvement of the ‘brand police’.
3. Memorable
When a place has a unique and distinctive sense of place, it becomes memorable. Memorable means that the enjoyable experience of that certain place, conquered the heart as well as the head. So that existing users and new visitors might think of lingering longer; returning more often; or even living or investing there.
4. Co-creation
Place branding should not be a top-down exercise and will only produce the best results when it is created and maintained through a strong coalition between the public, business and community sectors. This co-creation will create a town-wide understanding of pitching the place to target markets (different demographics within the local population, day visitors, investors, tourists, travel media, press).
5. Grounded
Place branding is not simply about a good slogan, logo and cheery promotional campaigns. In the experience economy an integrative place branding strategy is needed to capture the hearts and attention of local users and visitors. It needs to be ‘grounded’ in the ongoing local place making process and the evolution of a town centre. This means that the place brand should be supported by policies, innovations, events, structures, symbolic actions and long-term investments. Residents and visitors should experience the brand in physical changes and activities that add to their pride in place and create enjoyable memories.
Tracking place branding progress
At the People & Places Partnership we are great believers in tracking progress. It’s at the core of the revitalising town centres toolkit, that we developed for the LGA. We conduct a baseline survey; identify issues and solutions with stakeholders; assist in coordinating, constructing and communicating change; and follow-up my monitoring changes in perceptions and te use of the town centre.
From our experience at the People & Places Partnership, we know informally when the place brand has progressed positively when we pick-up on sentiments such as “things like this don’t normally happen in Ballinasloe”, or “have you been to Whitley Bay recently, it’s definitely on the up”!
More information
Take a look at the the People & Places Partnership’s good practice guidance on place branding beneath the skin, that features Lowestoft. You can download a free copy of place branding beneath the skin -a good practice guide.
Read about the local-first approach to place branding illustrated by a case study of Blaenau Ffestiniog that uses the Welsh town’s distinctive and authentic identity.
Other related posts include a detailed look at good practice in reviving historic town centres and an outline of four guiding principles for transforming public spaces.
The revitalising town centres toolkit, prepared for the Local Government Association, provides comprehensive guidance on leading a local town centre revival.
Contact service@people-places.net if you’d like to talk about place branding in your town or perhaps work with us to host a free introductory webinar for local stakeholders.
