Publisher with Purpose
The Place Brand Observer (TPBO) is an independent publisher with Swiss roots and a global perspective. For over a decade, we’ve explored how cities, regions, countries and destinations position themselves — and how they are perceived.
Through strategic editorial features, research-led insights, and curated interviews, we publish stories that help place professionals better understand their field, amplify their voice, and stay ahead of emerging narratives.
Our approach combines independent editorial judgment, curated visibility, and strategic collaboration to advance thoughtful place branding discourse.
Editorial Visibility
Our editorial platform helps places, agencies and professionals raise visibility, showcase achievements, and earn recognition through curated storytelling: reaching peers, partners, and decision-makers through TPBO’s trusted publishing channels.
- Online Showcases: Position your place, agency, or expertise through a dedicated editorial feature — including interviews, visual storytelling, and thematic context, published on TPBO’s global platform.
- Special Publication Features: Be included in our annual Yearbook or curated theme editions — designed to spotlight outstanding projects, voices, and achievements in place branding and related fields.
- Expert Showcases: Highlight your professional strengths, approach, or recent work to increase your visibility and attract collaboration within the global TPBO network.
Research & Insight
As part of TPBO's publishing activities, we produce editorial intelligence on how cities, regions, and countries position themselves and articulate their identity. This work runs across three levels of depth.
Our State of Place Positioning briefing reads across an entire edition (publication, e.g. the yearbook), drawing out the overarching themes and patterns in how the featured places are positioning themselves. A Closer Reading turns to a single place, examining its positioning in more detail within the edition it belongs to. Our Comparative Positioning Brief sets one place against selected peers, showing how it is positioned, how that is likely being read externally, and where its strengths remain underrecognised.
All three draw on more than a decade of editorial observation. This is not consulting. We report what we observe as an independent third party.