Listen and understand
Review existing studies, plans and materials. Interviews, workshops or consultations connect internal and external perceptions with the place’s assets.
Place branding and positioning
Define what makes your place valuable.
I help cities and regions understand their identity, assess how they are perceived and establish a relevant position for their audiences. The result is a strategic foundation for promotion, communication and collaboration.
Identity and strategic direction
A place brand grows from its capabilities, experiences and ambitions, with the participation of the people who make it possible. We establish what differentiates the place, which promises it can deliver and where further development is needed.
When this can help
- Valuable assets and projects lack a shared proposition.
- Changes in political leadership disrupt positioning.
- Institutions and businesses need common criteria for representing the place.
How we work.
Define a position
Organise attributes, evidence and priority audiences. Compare possible directions with relevant benchmarks and competitors to establish a defensible value proposition.
Agree and activate
Validate the proposition with agreed stakeholders and define principles for ownership, governance and activation.
What the work can deliver.
- Identity and perception assessment
- Assets, tensions and opportunities that establish the starting point for the brand.
- Positioning platform
- Priority audiences, differentiating attributes, a value proposition and supporting evidence.
- Governance guidance
- Proposed roles, agreements and coordination principles to support continuity.
- Activation roadmap
- Priorities for initiatives, communication and internal adoption.
Deliverables, participation, format and timeline are agreed in the project proposal.
A clearly defined scope.
The central narrative may form part of the brand platform. Detailed audience messaging, tone of voice and editorial applications belong to a complementary narrative and communication scope. Visual identity design is agreed explicitly, with specialist partners where appropriate.
Relevant experience
Norte de Santander, Colombia
I contributed to the regional branding process through workshops across five subregions, perception research and work on place identity, the value proposition and narrative.
More about my experience →Questions about this service.
Do we need a new logo?
We start with strategy. Any visual identity work is assessed through the diagnosis and agreed as a specific component.
Who should participate?
We define a stakeholder map with the commissioning organisation. It may include government, chambers of commerce, businesses, community organisations, universities and residents.
Let’s work together
What does your place need next?
Tell me about your organisation, the challenge and your timeframe. We can explore the most useful scope, format and next steps.