Newsroom
The Place Brand Observer is an independent publication on how cities, regions and countries position themselves, and how they are seen from outside. This page is for journalists and editors who need a source, comparative data or context on place branding, investment attraction and talent attraction.
Write to florian@placebrandobserver.com. We usually reply within one working day.
How we can help
Find an expert by topic
Experts from our Who is Who whom we can introduce you to. Introductions are made by us; we do not publish contact details.
Nation brands, soft power and rankings
- David Haigh, Chairman and CEO, Brand Finance
- Konrad Jagodzinski, Director of Place Branding, Brand Finance (Global Soft Power Index)
- Robert Govers, Anholt Nation Brands Index, IPBA, Belgium
- Sithembile Ntombela, CMO Tourism South Africa
- Adriana Acosta, Essential Costa Rica
Investment, talent and international education
- Steve Duncan, Managing Director, C Studios, Netherlands
- Shyam Vasudevan, branding strategist for tourism and investment promotion, India
- David Downs, Education New Zealand
City and regional brands
- Jess Radford, Brand Tasmania
- Todd Babiak, CEO, Brand Gold Coast
- Stuart Speirs, Silver Lining Strategy, Australia
- Natasha Norman, Institute for Identity (INSTID), United Kingdom
- Malcolm Allan, The Place Brand Academy, United Kingdom
Destinations, tourism and crisis communication
- Hjörtur Smárason, strategic adviser, Iceland
- Michael Persson Gripkow, place branding strategist, Sweden
Research
- Olga Rauhut Kompaniets, Halmstad University, Sweden
- Magdalena Florek, independent scholar and adviser, Poland
- Giannina Warren, RMIT University Vietnam
- Sara Seif Ibrahim, cultural place branding in the Arab and Mediterranean regions
Looking for someone else? We can also put you in touch with people from our more than 350 interviews. Write to us with your topic and we will suggest names.
Research and data
- 2026Talent Attraction Leaders: Europe & North America43 places compared on recruitment, housing, integration and retention, with research and practitioner interviews. Free download.
- 2026Place Brand Leaders Yearbook32 places and how they approach their brand and reputation, with expert perspectives.
- 2026Investment Attraction seriesInterviews with heads of investment promotion agencies and FDI advisers.
- OngoingCity and country profilesHow places perform across the main international rankings, read alongside our own reporting. For example Hamburg.
Fact sheet
- Publication
- The Place Brand Observer (TPBO), independent and editorially led
- Publisher
- Dr Florian Kaefer
- Based in
- Switzerland
- Publishing since
- 2014
- Coverage
- Place branding, nation branding and soft power, investment and talent attraction, destination strategy
- Archive
- More than 350 interviews with practitioners and researchers
- Readers
- Around 10,000 a month, mostly through search and direct visits; more than 5,000 newsletter subscribers
- Languages
- English, with selected articles in German
About the publisher
Dr Florian Kaefer founded The Place Brand Observer in 2014 and has led it since. He holds a doctorate in place branding and writes on how places build, lose and are judged on their reputation.
Available for comment in English and German on place and nation branding, country and city rankings, investment and talent attraction, and Swiss location marketing.
Media contact
Florian Kaefer, Publisher: florian@placebrandobserver.com
Editorial team: editor@placebrandobserver.com
Our analysis may be quoted with attribution to The Place Brand Observer. Charts, logo files and a high-resolution portrait are available on request.