We all know how important branding is for a company, but place branding plays an equally important role for countries, cities, destinations, and tourism companies.
Much like businesses, places use branding to create recognition and trust, and to position themselves in a unique way. Every place has its unique characteristics and something that makes it different.
Great place branding helps to showcase this and present it to the world.
To get a better understanding of place branding, we’ve created a series that explores the 4 main types of place branding.
In this series, we’ve explored:
- Nation branding
- City branding
- Destination branding
- Tourism branding
Certain locations and companies do an excellent job of place branding and creating an emotional connection with people all around the world. Whether it’s to attract tourists or appeal to businesses and investors, each location aims to position itself in a particular way.
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Successful branding can work wonders. If it’s successful, it can resonate with people worldwide to help create a strong emotional connection to the location.
This can lead to economic benefits and an improved global reputation.
In this post, we’ll explore the different types of branding that we discuss in this series. So whether you’re interested in city branding or want to know more about tourism branding, we’ve got all the best insights and examples.
Let’s dive in!
What is Place Branding?
Before we look at the different types, let’s unpack what place branding is in more detail.
To keep it simple, place branding is the process of creating a unique identity for a location that attracts and interests tourists and businesses.
The main goals of place branding are:
- Create a strong identity
- Attracting tourists
- Boost local economies
- Encourage investment
- Enhance a place’s global image
By highlighting what makes a place unique, locations can tailor their marketing strategies around this.
As a result, different places will stand out for various reasons.
There are so many places to go all over the world, but place branding aims to make a location stand out as a place like no other. Kind of like airport branding, but on a bigger scale. It needs to encapsulate the true essence of a place and use what makes it different to its advantage.
Have you ever felt an emotional connection to a place before?
A lot of the time, that’s because of the actual experience you’ve had while you’re there.
Place branding efforts aim to tap into this feeling and use it to create a long-lasting impression.
Why is Place Branding Important?
So we now know what place branding actually is. But why is it so important?
Here are some reasons:
Creates a Strong Identity
One of the main reasons why place branding is important is because it works great for creating a strong identity for a place. By using what makes it unique, this kind of branding highlights the advantages and interests a place has to offer. Identity is just as important for places as it is for businesses.
Every business wants a distinctive identity, and so do locations around the world.
Attracts Tourists to Boost the Economy
It’s no secret that tourism is great for economies. The money that tourists bring into cities and countries plays a significant role and, as expected, it’s welcomed! If place branding is effective, it’ll highlight what the location has to offer and what makes it worth a visit.
By appealing to tourists, there’s a higher chance they’ll book a trip to see it for themselves!
Encourages Investment
Another key element that place branding is great for is driving investment. If a place positions itself as one that’s innovative and has good infrastructure, it can bring about investment opportunities.
Brading can help to present different features of a place and draw attention to them. This is great for a country’s economy and puts it on the map for further improvements down the line.
Enhances a Place’s Global Image
Every business wants a good reputation. And the same goes for locations, too. Effective branding can help to secure a positive reputation. This is vital in the crowded global marketplace and is a good way to attract tourists and travellers.
Place branding has so many advantages. If it’s executed in the right way, it can completely transform the identity and reputation of a location or company.
Whether it’s through nation branding, city, destination, or tourism, it puts places on the map to stand out from the crowd.
Let’s take a look at the different types of place branding and explore some great examples.
Nation Branding
Nation branding is the process of shaping an entire country’s identity. This kind of branding is all about what makes a country stand out. And the reasons why.
Naturally, we all have a picture in our heads when we imagine certain countries. Whether it’s an image of the food or the scenery, some things just make an impression.
Effective nation branding uses this to a country’s advantage. By tailoring branding to what makes it unique, a country stands a better chance of having a stronger identity.
Key Elements of Nation Branding
The main aim of nation branding it to attract people to a country.
Tourists pay money. And countries need money.
The better the branding, the more likely people are to book a trip.
Here are some of the key elements a lot of countries like to draw on:
Natural resources or landscapes
Some countries are lucky enough to have some amazing natural landscapes, and they use this as a way of attracting tourists.
A lot of nation branding revolves around geography and what a country has to offer. It might have waterfalls, glaciers or breathtaking mountains, and use this to its advantage by promoting tourist activities or trips.
Culture and soft power
Countries that have a strong culture often use it to position themselves as a place of interest for people around the world. Soft power, which alludes to a country with strength due to its culture and values, is also used a lot in nation branding.
A country may represent itself as one that is full of power due to its rich heritage or outlook.
Economic strength
A specific country will highlight its economic strength to strategically brand itself in this way. If it’s well-known for its technological advancement or as a leader in manufacturing, it’ll highlight this to the world.
This sets a country apart and gives it a strong reputation!
Nation Branding Examples
With so many countries around the world, some do an excellent job of nation branding. Even if you’ve not visited it, you can’t help but recognise a country based on what it highlights to the world.
Some countries that do it well are:
- Switzerland
- Australia
- Canada
- Brazil
- India
These places all do a great job of branding and using what sets them apart to increase their recognition. If you’ve ever considered booking a holiday, there’s a high chance that nation branding has influenced your decision.
One country that does a great job of it in particular? Japan! We’ve explored Japan’s branding in our blog, but let’s take a quick look at it now!
Japan
Japan’s branding as a nation is based around the “Cool Japan” initiative. It uses its culture to showcase its way of life to the rest of the world.
Japan is an absolute powerhouse of culture. And as we all know already, it’s pretty cool.
“Cool Japan” became a strong element of the country in 2013. It’s a strategy that highlights the elements that people outside of Japan think are “cool”. To me, it’s basically everything. Furthermore, the aim was also to present the country’s soft power, which we mentioned earlier.
From the food to the local products, fashion, robots, animation and high-tech, eco-friendly industrial products, it’s all cool. The idea of the strategy was to highlight these distinct elements of Japanese culture that set it apart from the rest of the world.
As a result, this triggers economic growth due to an increase in tourism.
You can see the increase in numbers to see how well the strategy actually worked, too. In 2015, 19.73 million people visited Japan according to 2.
In 2013, 10.36 million people visited the country, so the increase was clear. It’s safe to say that the strategy was having an impact.
Overall, “Cool Japan” has clearly worked wonders for the country as it continues to thrive. The culture is so strong and as a country, it positions itself as being a whole experience in itself.
It sets the country apart from everywhere else in the world.
I mean, name a place as cool as Japan? I’ll wait…
City Branding
Have you ever felt an emotional connection to a city you’ve never been to?
Round of applause for its branding!
City branding is the process of creating a distinctive identity for a city. It’s all about encompassing what the city has to offer and what makes it stand out.
The aim is to draws on a city’s culture, architecture, or lifestyle to highlight its features. If this is done well, people find themselves drawn to booking a trip there.
For example, a city might have some very recognisable and striking architecture. Or, it might have a vibrant street life full of markets and street performers. There might even be a particular way of life that it’s known for and, if so, this is used as an enticing and engaging way to attract people to see it.
Key Elements of City Branding
It’s no surprise that with so many cities around the world, standing out is important.
Just like a business, each one uses its unique standpoint to appeal to potential customers. Except this time, it’s potential visitors to a city.
City branding is very much based on the unique personality of a city.
Here are some elements that often come into play:
Lifestyle / Quality of Life
A lot of city branding often relates to a particular way of life a city offers. It shows tourists why visiting the city is so great, and what feeling it’ll give off. One city might be full of green spaces and another might be full of innovative skyscrapers.
Whatever it has, effective branding will set the city apart from the others.
Culture
Some cities have heritage or culture that makes them different. City branding draws on this and uses it to entice tourists to visit. It might have a world-famous art gallery or a historical monument.
City branding will emphasise the importance of this and use it to gain visibility and better recognition.
Tourist attractions
Some cities have attractions that aim towards the enjoyment of tourists. For example, London is well-known for West End performances. By positioning itself as a unique city that offers this enticing event, people travel from all over the world to see a show for themselves.
City Branding Examples
Some cities do a great job of branding.
Examples of these include:
- New York City
- Melbourne, Australia
- Helsinki, Finland
- Paris, France
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
These cities all use their distinct way of life and cultural gems to showcase what makes them so worth a visit.
A city that demonstrates excellent branding is Calgary in Canada. Having went through the rebranding process recently, with Canadian based design agency Daughter, the city is portraying a whole new image to the world.
And it works well!
We’ve explored it in our city branding post. But, let’s take a closer look at Calgary’s city branding.
Calgary, Canada
2 and it’s a great example of city branding. Recently rebranding as “Blue Sky City”, it aims to showcase the place’s energy and optimism from the get-go.
The city was voted the 3rd best one to live in the world in 2022, and its branding revolves around this positive feel.
The brand is laced with the slogan “look up”, which encourages residents and visitors to take in the surroundings, the beautiful blue sky and the incredible sights the city is so proud of. All of its branding efforts, from its logo to promotional video, are very consistent and use the city’s values and weather-benefits to their advantage.
Going somewhere called “Blue Sky City” is very appealing to me…
Having never visited Calgary, its brand identity is very powerful. The focus on sunshine, hope, and “unlimited potential” (as said in the brand video), is evident.
Showcasing the city’s happy vibe and interesting skyscrapers and natural landscape, makes it seem like a place worth visiting.
It’s hard to imagine yourself feeling anything less than joyful there, thanks to the city branding!
Destination Branding
Another element of place branding is destination branding. Like nation and city branding, destination branding aims to attract tourists and increase the appeal of a place.
However, destination branding is more focused on specific experiences as opposed to cities or countries.
It’s all about what a place has to offer and the particular experience you’ll have there.
This kind of branding is a lot more tourist-focused. Effective branding of a destination will show people around the world what makes it distinct and stand out from other tourist attractions.
Imagine you’re about to book a holiday. You’ll probably, without thinking, use destination branding to help influence your choice. If you want a party holiday, you’ll go for a destination that promotes this.
Alternatively, if you want to relax you’ll opt for the yoga retreats and stunning sunset destinations of the world.
Key Elements of Destination Branding
Destination branding is all about how a place is perceived due to what it provides tourists. It taps into what makes a place different, and unique, and focuses on the reputation of a place.
Here are some key elements:
Unique experiences
This kind of branding is all about the experience of a place. It goes deeper into what you’ll feel when you visit a place. Each location around the world will offer a unique experience that you can’t get anywhere else.
It might be an adventure of a lifetime.
Or it could be some tasty local delicacies.
Locals and hospitality
A lot of destination branding taps into how the locals are in certain places. Let’s face it, you’re not really going to want to go somewhere that doesn’t have friendly locals.
Destination branding promotes the people of a place and portrays a certain way of life.
Events or festivals
This kind of falls under the umbrella of unique experiences, but a lot of places use their local events or festivals to attract tourists.
Whether it’s to celebrate culture, tradition, or just a high-profile event, these events are unique to a place and end up being part of what sets a location apart from the rest.
Destination Branding Examples
The tourism industry is full of competition, so destinations need to stand out.
Some places around the world that do a great job of destination branding are:
- Dubai
- Bali
- Tuscany
- Las Vegas
- The Maldives
These places use their distinct elements to set them apart and stand out. Just by looking at the list above, I’m sure you probably have very clear images of what each place has to offer.
That’s because of effective destination branding!
One place that does a great job of this is Kyoto in Japan. Despite competing with fast-paced Tokyo and the modern elements of “Cool Japan”, it stands strong with its own identity.
You can see more about Kyoto in our destination branding post. But for now, let’s take a closer look.
Kyoto, Japan
Kytoto uses destination branding to separate it from Tokyo and the modern and futuristic feel of it.
Kyoto is a very different place to Tokyo, and it uses its unique stance to attract tourists.
Essentially, if you want to experience true Japanese culture, this is the place to go.
Kyoto is a city on the Japanese island of Honshu, and it’s one of Japan’s most famous destinations. It actually won the Swiss Tourism Award for the “Best Travel Destination” in 2023, which is a first for Asia.
It won for:
Its natural scenery, temples, shrines, towns and houses that blend into a setting of extraordinary beauty.
It showcases its natural beauty and traditional ways of life to the world. Ancient traditions still exist there today, like Geishas, and this positions the city as a place of interest for people all over the world.
When you think of traditional Japan, without even realising this is probably a place that pops into your mind. So much so that it’s often referred to as the “cultural capital of Japan” and the heart of the country.
From tea ceremonies as a way of welcoming guests to traditional dance and flower arranging, many Japanese traditions still stand strong there.
With all this traditional Japanese talk, are you picturing cherry blossom trees? Look no further…
As far as the natural attraction of Kyoto is concerned, the cherry blossom trees and autumn foliage create a bold visual identity for the destination.
The city holds a Gion Matsuri festival every year that celebrates Japanese culture. With fireworks and processions, it’s something worth travelling for. Because of this, Kyoto stands strong with a bold identity that sets it apart. This destination branding effectively encapsulates the city’s rich history.
By keeping old traditions alive, it appeals to tourists seeking a trip that takes them back in time.
Tourism Branding
Tourism branding is the process of developing a strong identity for a tourist destination or attraction. It goes beyond booking a holiday or excursion.
It dives deeper into the feelings of each traveller by focussing on the unique and memorable experience.
Effective tourism branding will create a connection with a tourist and highlight what makes a certain tourism company or attraction so great.
The tourism industry is jam-packed with options. There is something for everyone.
As a result, tourism branding is needed to ensure unique companies stand out and that tourists are aware of what they have to offer.
Key Elements of Tourism Branding
Tourism companies face so much competition as there are so many options to choose from.
This means they need to present their unique characteristics and elements to help them stand out.
Here are some key elements that tourism companies or interesting attractions promote in their branding:
Unique attractions
A large part of tourism branding is what a company actually has to offer. We’re all looking for different things out of a holiday or trip. Good tourism branding caters to this and highlights what a distinct company offers.
It uses what sets the company apart, to set it apart from the competition by showcasing unique attractions it offers.
Comfort and hospitality
Tourism companies know how much people appreciate comfort and good customer service. As a result, they push this feature in their branding and set their tourism company apart this way.
This is crucial to tourism branding because it ensures tourists know they’ll feel comfortable with premium services.
Company ethos
Different companies might have a different ethos that sets them apart. Tourism branding will present the company’s distinct identity to stand out from competitors.
Often, this is what makes tourists more likely to gravitate towards them.
Tourism Branding Examples
Some companies do a great job of standing out. By showcasing their identity and using what makes them stand out to their benefit, they attract tourists from all over the world.
Some examples that do it well are:
- Airbnb
- The Ritz-Carlton
- Universal Studios Theme Parks
- The Louvre
- Expedia Group
These tourism companies all use branding to create a compelling and enticing brand.
Tripadvisor is also a good example of a company that uses tourism branding to stand apart.
Not only does the company run on a unique idea, but it also offers a unique experience for people. Our tourism branding post explores the list above, and more!
But for now, here is a close look at how Tripadvisor does a good job of branding and setting the company apart.
Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor uses tourism branding to allude to the entire experience of using the company.
What stands out the most with Tripadvisor? A strong element of trust.
Tripadvisor is a brand that has created an entire identity around trust. It almost feels like if a place doesn’t have Tripadivsor’s approval, it’s not worth going to!
The company has created its entire identity around this concept, and it works. People are free to express their opinions, experiences and ideas. This is a very unique way of getting reviews, but it always seems very reliable.
User-generated content is the backbone of the company and, as a result, it has a wealth of information, advice and ideas.
Credibility and trustworthiness are the foundation of the company, creating a sense of community as people share their experiences. Because of its unbiased approach, Tripadvisor brands itself a place of openness.
The company also brands itself as a travel partner, offering tourists ideas of experiences and tours to do in different locations. The brand is highly humanised and the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards presents its dedication to the experience of tourists.
The company does an interesting thing when it comes to tourism branding, as it lets the tourists speak for themselves. They basically do all the hard work for the company!
This brand strategy is highly effective, and it’s helped the company become the global sensation it is today.
An Introduction to Place Branding: Setting the Stage
There you have it! If you didn’t already fancy booking a holiday or fun trip, you probably will now.
City branding, nation branding, destination branding, and tourism branding are all essential.
While they have slightly different key elements, the main goal of attracting tourists, boosting the economy and shaping a reputation is shared.
Every brand wants to be memorable. And for cities, nations, destinations and tourism companies, this is no different! By highlighting what makes them unique and stand out, they entice more people from all over. Just like businesses, branding is an effective way to put a place on a map.
In our place branding series, we take a very deep dive into many different places and companies.
For all things place branding, our series looks at lots of examples of different places all over the world. From Santorini’s cobbled streets to New Zealand’s pure promise, there is plenty to uncover when it comes to branding.
