Have you heard about the “waw” effect?

Originally posted by EURE Project (INTERREG EUROPE) in April 2020 “For years, cities around the world have joined the search for a particular identity to differentiate themselves, juggling between marketing and branding. In 2012, Bill Baker established a fundamental difference between them: “Branding is based on long-term strategy, while marketing is strategic (or should be), …

City Branding: The French Revolution

Originally published at Atlantic Cities’ blog (July 2014) July 14th marks the anniversary of the capture of La Bastille by the people of Paris. Because traditional celebrations are a significant component of branding, today we will focus on how city branding has been tackled by some French cities. As a pioneer, the OnlyLyon trademark cannot be dismissed when …

What is the city but the people?

    Initially published at CAAC blog An article written for the Urban Solutions Seminar, Birmingham May 2012.  Amazing cities. Social constructions, where the best and the worst of humanity live together.  From the first fortifications in the Middle Ages to the megapolis of Tokio or Mexico, cities have developed and now seem the most …

Some ideas on city storytelling

Initially published at CAAC blog Explained by Zideate, “as a marketing tactic, storytelling is based on the premise that people remember information better when it is told as a story rather than presented as a list of facts. This is largely because stories are more relatable and inspire an emotional reaction in an audience. Any marketing …

4 P’s for Placemaking

  Initially published at CAAC blog   Several definitions tackle the concept of Place Making. The description of Wikipedia cannot be dismissed, as it enounces that “Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Placemaking capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, with the intention of creating …

Food and short delivery systems

Originally posted in Atlantic Cities blog (February 2013) as “Economy of Proximity” When speaking of the Economy of Proximity, one refers to an activity which relies on the proximity between producers and consumers. But what specifically characterizes this proximity? The concept of proximity is usually associated with geographical distance and physical space. However, proximity is …

Four Ideas about city branding in the Atlantic Arc

Originally posted in Atlantic Cities’ blog (December 2012) Awareness on the importance that city identity has on attracting tourists and businesses and even on retaining population has been exponentially increasing on the last ten years. However, this race against the machine (!) can be very tricky at times. From all the strategies used by Atlantic Arc Cities, four …