This editorial briefing takes the pulse of place branding research in 2026, mapping emerging academic agendas, points of convergence, and the spaces where the field comes together.
By Olga Rauhut Kompaniets, Associate Editor, Research, The Place Brand Observer
As 2026 begins, place branding research finds itself at a moment of unusual alignment. Long-standing debates around definition and legitimacy have not disappeared, but they no longer dominate the conversation. Instead, attention is shifting towards shared questions of purpose, governance and impact.
If 2025 marked a year of convergence, 2026 looks set to build on that momentum. Across the place branding research field, academics and practitioners are increasingly engaging with the same questions, gradually shaping a common understanding of what place branding is for — and how it operates in practice and governance.
Insights from recent gatherings, including the IPBA conference in Manchester, point to this growing alignment. Familiar themes persist, but new patterns of thinking are emerging around governance, co-creation, technological change and measurable impact. It is in this shared research–practice space that the field’s most meaningful progress is now taking place.
Key research themes for 2026
As the field enters 2026, several themes stand out — not as short-term trends, but as enduring research agendas shaping the evolution of place branding scholarship.
Talent attraction as a core strategy
In an era defined by mobility and skills competition, talent attraction has become central to value creation for places. Place branding is no longer about visibility alone; it is about sustained desirability. Practitioners are aligning narratives of opportunity with lived realities — career ecosystems, housing, education, community integration and inclusion. Retention, not just attraction, has become the benchmark of success.
Research reinforces this shift. Studies in city and regional strategy emphasise the need for multi-sector alignment across labour markets, spatial planning and international positioning — a convergence increasingly echoed in practitioner forums worldwide.
Why this matters: Places that make a compelling case for why people should live, work and stay will outperform those still relying on traditional place promotion.
Beyond the city: rural, peripheral and regional places
Place branding is no longer an urban-only conversation. Research has increasingly turned its attention to rural and peripheral contexts, documenting distinct challenges around identity, scale, resources and governance. Rather than importing city-centric models, scholars argue for adaptive frameworks rooted in local ecosystems and culture.
This aligns with a growing practitioner interest in branding regions, hinterlands and lesser-known places — not as secondary actors, but as vital contributors to national narratives and community renewal.
Why this matters: Expanding the geographical lens strengthens the field’s relevance and ensures that place branding speaks to territories as a whole, not only to metropolitan cores.
Stakeholder engagement and co-creation
Few concepts better illustrate the convergence of research and practice than co-creation. Once an aspirational ideal, it is now a practical necessity. Place brands are increasingly shaped through participatory processes involving residents, businesses, civic leaders and visitors. Branding is being reframed as collective authorship, where narratives emerge through dialogue rather than directive.
Research interrogates the deeper questions behind these processes — power, representation and equity — while practitioners translate them into methods that build legitimacy and shared ownership.
Why this matters: Co-created place brands are more credible, more resilient and more reflective of lived experience than any curated fantasy.
Technology, digital storytelling and generative AI
Technology remains a unifying current across the field. Practitioners are deploying digital platforms and AI tools to track perceptions in real time, refine targeting and anticipate audience behaviour. At the same time, researchers are examining the conceptual and ethical implications: algorithmic bias, digital identities, immersive storytelling and the long-term effects of automation on trust.
The result is a productive dialogue — experimentation informed by critique, and theory grounded in use.
Why this matters: Digital and AI tools are no longer tactical add-ons. They are reshaping how place brands are created, communicated and evaluated.
Sustainability, resilience and social purpose
Image has given way to impact. Environmental, social, economic and cultural sustainability are now embedded in place branding strategy. Research increasingly asks how reputational commitments translate into tangible outcomes for communities and ecosystems. Closely linked is resilience — not as a reactive message, but as a principle of strategic design in the face of climate, demographic and economic change.
Why this matters: Values-based place branding builds trust, aligns local action with global agendas and positions places as credible actors in long-term transformation.
Where research and practice converge
In 2026, the intersection between scholarship and application has rarely been more dynamic. Key trends include:
- Governance and impact measurement: Practice-driven metrics are increasingly shaped by empirical research, while scholars develop methodologies that matter in decision-making contexts.
- AI and ethics: Practitioners test new tools; academia provides the frameworks for responsible use.
- Co-creation and equity: Practice operationalises participation; research interrogates whose voices count.
- Non-urban contexts: Emerging theory enriches practice with context-sensitive insights.
This synergy elevates the field. Practice gains rigour; research gains relevance. Neither advance without the other.
Where place brand leaders are meeting in 2026
The year ahead offers several spaces where this shared agenda will be shaped collectively.
International Place Branding Association (IPBA) Annual Conference
Lisbon, Portugal | 28–30 October 2026 | ipba2026lisbon.org
The 10th edition of the IPBA conference marks a decade of disciplinary evolution. With research papers, practitioner case studies, doctoral colloquium and art-creative formats, it remains the premier forum for cross-disciplinary exchange across place branding and marketing, geography, destination branding and public diplomacy. Confirmed keynote speaker is Caio Esteves, a long-time TPBO expert panel contributor.
PLACExNordic
Skellefteå, Sweden | 2–3 June 2026 | placexnordic.com
A Nordic-focused summit on place attractiveness, resilience, renewal and talent strategies. Particularly relevant for those working on regional development, governance innovation and community engagement.
City Nation Place Conferences
Americas (Vancouver, April), Australasia (Gold Coast, August), UK (September), Global Forum (November) | citynationplace.com
Designed for practitioner exchange across tourism, investment, talent and placemaking, these forums emphasise cross-sector connectivity and applied insight.
Final thought
Place branding in 2026 is a field of knowledge built at the intersection of strategy and community, technology and ethics, evidence and experience. When research and practice truly converse, place branding becomes a win strategy for shaping how places are imagined, governed and lived.
Olga Rauhut Kompaniets serves as Associate Editor, Research, for The Place Brand Observer. Based in Southern Sweden, Olga is a researcher and educator specialising in place marketing and branding, with a focus on sustainable development and stakeholder engagement. She is Senior Lecturer in Business Administration at Halmstad University, where she leads the master’s programme in Responsible Global Marketing.
