The goal was to make Helsingborg the first place that would come to mind year-round with all the necessary components for a world-class weekend destination - The Weekend City. A new communication concept was developed; WKND by HBG.

At the launch of the Brand Finance's 2020 Global Soft Power Index in February - and how long ago that seems now - Ban Ki-moon spoke passionately about the importance of soft power and global citizenship during a time of trade wars and increasingly hardened borders. "Soft power," he proclaimed, "transcends borders, builds bridges, and brings the world together through dialogue and mutual understanding." 

Kaunas, Lithuania, has been named one of the European Cities of Culture for 2022. Tadas Stankevicius, Director at Kaunas IN, shared with us how they’re leveraging culture to nurture civic pride and to drive their recovery after COVID-19.

Most of Denmark’s business regions have developed independent branding strategies to attract (the same) group of international companies and talent – and in the end, this is a zero-sum game with more losers than winners. To counter this, a new strategic branding adventure was embarked upon to support the ability of all of Denmark to attract international talent and companies.

Closing the narrative gap between your identity and your perceived identity is a challenge for many places. Nick Hill, Chief Executive, Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development, shared with us how they're working to change perceptions with a new brand playbook - and how they're putting sustainable destination management at the core of their strategy.

How can destinations begin their recovery? With the summer season looming for many destinations, and business-almost-as-usual resuming, we reached out to our panel of place branding experts to understand what the next steps should be for places looking to restart their economies.

If you’re looking for the City of Tomorrow, then you need look no further than Helsinki. Laura Aalto, CEO at Helsinki Marketing, shared with us how they built a brand on a foundation of innovation and openness, and what’s next for the trail blazing city.

The marketing benefits of digital and social media channels are a fact at this point. You’re not the only one telling your story though. Anyone with their own Twitter, LinkedIn or TripAdvisor account is sharing your story too – and it might not be a story you're proud of. So how do you manage your digital place reputation?

Azerbaijan took the world by storm with their 2018 “Take Another Look” campaign which encouraged travellers to see the nation’s wonderful diversity. We reached out to Fidan Aliyeva, Azerbaijan Tourism Board, to understand the key to their successful design identity and how an organisation that is still forging its path adapted to the new challenges of COVID-19.

Tourism destinations are anxious for the return of international travellers during the second half of 2020. As we begin planning for the future, we’re happy to share new research looking at post-COVID attitudes of Chinese travellers.

In late 2017, Cape Town announced that the city was facing ‘Day Zero’ – or the day when Cape Town would become the first major world city to have to turn off the taps. We reached out to Tim Harris, CEO at Wesgro, the trade and tourism promotion body for the Western Cape, to discover how the region is responding to the pandemic and to understand how their experience of the drought has influenced their response to COVID-19.

Just as tourism teams are looking to “reset” with a more sustainable approach, place leaders and economic development teams are reconsidering approaches to placemaking. There is a need to reinvent our public spaces to rebuild the attractiveness of places – and to reconnect communities that have been living in isolation for upwards of three months.

If there are any silver linings to the COVID-19 pandemic, the renewed spirit of global collaboration and creative innovation would be one. As one of the few EDOs to collaborate with the private sector in the UN's Global Hack, Locate in Kent share advice for EDOs looking to ensure their organisations are sufficiently resourced and agile to survive and thrive through the crisis and the recovery period.

Collaboration is the name of the game and Philadelphia are nailing it. From launching a new place narrative to driving their recovery after COVID-19, Sylvie Gallier Howard, the Acting Commerce Director at Philadelphia's Department of Commerce, shares how strategic collaboration has been central to their success.

Our understanding of place branding is rapidly evolving. Below are our top reading suggestions from the last few years for those looking to expand their own knowledge and insights…