Just in time for summer break, here’s a selection of 5 books on place branding to read in 2016: favorite books recommended by place brand experts in our interviews. Each of them compulsory reading for those charged with the difficult task of overseeing or developing strategies for destination branding, city branding, economic development or public diplomacy.
Rethinking Place Branding: Comprehensive Brand Development for Cities and Regions
Edited by Mihalis Kavaratzis, Gary Warnaby, Gregory Ashworth (2014, Springer)
Juan Carlos Belloso recommends this book because “it has a range of great contributions by place branding experts”. Indeed, all contributors are experts on the specific topic that their chapters deal with and this gives to the book a certain sense of ‘the right people talk about the right things’.
Read our book review here.
Nation Branding, Concepts, Issue and Practice
Edited by Keith Dinnie (2nd Edition, 2015, Routledge)
Nicolas Papadopoulos: “the base book for anyone working in this field”.
Read our book review here.
Destination Branding for Small Cities
By Bill Baker (2012, Creative Leap Books)
Keith Dinnie: “everyone who has an interest in place branding should read it. It’s concise, to the point, and full of great examples.”
Read our book review here.
Places: Identity, Image and Reputation
By Simon Anholt (2009, Palgrave Macmillan)
Marcus Andersson commented that he re-read this book last year and “got even more convinced that place branding is more about development, policy and identity rather than communications, marketing and sometimes even creativity”.
Read our book review here.
Marketing Places
By Philip Kotler, Ronald Haider, Irving Rein (2002, Free Press)
This is a classic and considered by some interviewees as “the best all-round book on the theme”.
Read our book review here.
You might also be interested in our list of recommended books for place brand professionals.
