Case Studies & Examples

Talent Attraction: How the International Citizen Hub Lund Helps to Attract Talent to Southern Sweden

Lisa Andersson in this interview introduces us to the work of the International Citizen Hub Lund, a leading talent attraction and retention initiative in southern Sweden. Learn how they do it, which challenges they face, and how they overcome those.

Peru: From Heritage to Culinary Fame

In our Peru country report we investigate where Peru is coming from and where it is going, how it has managed to build itself such a strong and favorable reputation as destination for foodies. A series of interviews with Peruvian observers and changemakers.

Chile: Reaching for the Stars with Astrotourism

Astrotourism - a destination branding opportunity for Chile and its Coquimbo region in the north. Join us on a special tour and learn about what it takes to become (known) as one of the world's prime places for getting a glimpse at the universe.

Anna Gissler on How Stockholm Business Region Leads in Talent Attraction

In this interview Anna Gissler, Acting CEO of Stockholm Business Region (with the two subsidiaries Visit Stockholm and Invest Stockholm) shares her thoughts on success factors, challenges and trends in city branding - which, as she says, really isn't about logos or slogans.

Mia Kemppaala, Founder of Polar Bear Pitching in Oulu, Finland

Mia Kemppaala, founder of Polar Bear Pitching in the city of Oulu in Finland's north, tells us how the event came all about, why Polar Bear Pitching has become so important for the city and why it is important to sometimes take a jump into the cold water, embracing the unknown.

How Eindhoven Uses City Branding Strategies for Economic Development and Community Self-Esteem

Peter Kentie on how the Dutch city of Eindhoven is using city branding strategies for its economic development as hotspot for high tech and design, and how it is contributing to stronger community self-esteem.

Brave and Bold: Creating New Logo and Visual Identity for Irkutsk City in Eastern Siberia

Natasha Grand of INSTID illustrates how her team helped to create a new visual identity for the "tough" city of Irkutsk in Siberia, Russia.

Lipetsk Land: How a Region (Re)Discovered Its Identity – A Place Branding Story

Natasha Grand, INSTID, tells the story how Lipetsk, a region in southern Russia, (re)discovered its identity and turned it into a place branding strategy.

Just ESTonishing: How Dutchman Peter Kentie Came Up with Pro Bono Nation Branding Concept for Estonia

Peter Kentie tells us how he came up with the Just ESTonishing nation branding concept for the country of Estonia in Eastern Europe, why he dedicated his time and energy to this pro bono initiative and how it has paid off for him nevertheless.

Sofia City Branding, Placemaking and Urban Transformation: A Personal Account

Rinske Brand and Rozemarijn Stam reflect on the current state of city image and city branding in Sofia, Bulgaria, and discuss how placemaking initiatives could help Sofia live up to its full potential as city.

How the German City of Bielefeld Used Participatory City Branding Strategies for its Rebranding

Learn how the German city of Bielefeld used participatory city branding strategies for its rebranding and for building a strong city brand which allows it to connect residents with businesses and visitors.

Beyond Tacos and Burritos: How Circus Show LUZIA and Movie COCO Influence the Country Image of Mexico

We take a closer look at Mexico's changing country image, triggered by artistic productions such as the Pixar movie COCO and the Cirque du Soleil show Luzia.

How the Oslo Brand Toolbox Supports the City Branding of the Norwegian Capital

The Oslo Brand Toolbox is an innovative city branding strategy and example worth following. Oslo Brand Manager Tone-Lise Vilje in this case study tells us how the Oslo Brand Toolbox works, and how it supports the Norwegian capital's economic development and talent attraction ambitions.

Which Are the Most Innovative Destination Marketing Campaigns?

31 innovative destination marketing campaigns and place branding strategies from around the world to serve you as inspiration in 2018: examples of best practice recommended by our virtual expert panel.

NEOM: A Tale of Archetypes – Arcadia and Utopia

NEOM as the tale of two archetypes: Gunter Soydanbay in this essay examines the vision of the planned mega city in Saudi Arabia by means of its underlying archetypes: arcadia and utopia.

Top 5 City Branding Case Studies and Examples To Learn From: How They Do It

Here's our top five of city branding case studies and examples published by The Place Brand Observer so far. City branding strategies to learn from.