It takes a village to deliver a great place brand strategy. But, done right, it also delivers significant returns for your residents, businesses, and other stakeholders. Our latest research report into the Private Sector Perspective on Place Branding and Marketing showed that 85% of multinational business leaders believe that a good location is “a place with a positive reputation.” However, place brand and marketing organisations are missing opportunities to partner with their private sector – the research also showed that 90% of business leaders who had not been invited to act as place brand ambassadors would be keen to take on the role.

We reached out to our Expert partners to understand how place brand, destination marketing, and economic development teams can work with their local businesses to create win-win partnerships that help their communities thrive.

Embrace your private sector as a core part of your place brand.

Make them an integral part of the brand story. Highlighting real stories of real people who contribute to the character and success of the community creates authenticity and builds pride. By sharing and elevating these businesses and their unique narratives, place brands share a tourism and economic development asset while creating a deeper emotional connection that attracts and retains talent. Collaboration amplifies visibility for local businesses while reinforcing the brand's identity as a vibrant, people-focused destination.

Ryan Short, CEO, CivicBrand

Treat them as a priority audience, from the beginning of the place marketing process and always.

Too often, local businesses are treated as service providers for a place brand. Instead, consider local businesses as hosts and ambassadors, so they become key partners in the marketing planning, as well its execution. Bring them into the discovery process, finding out the kinds of visitors, residents and investors they feel are best served by, and can positively contribute to, the place and all it has to offer. Integrate their growth ambitions into the overarching marketing plan. Build around their restrictions and limitations, to develop marketing resources and toolkits that support their objectives and help fill their own resourcing gaps. The goal should be shared ownership, where local business and community needs and wants act as a guiding light for the place brand and marketing.

Lyndal Kearney, Co-Founder and Strategy Director, Cúpla

Trust is essential.

Places should collaborate with clusters of local tourism entrepreneurs and small hospitality businesses to create tourism initiatives that boost economic growth. We have found that successful partnerships hinge on building trust by balancing individual and community priorities, guided by cultural understanding and respect. To walk this tightrope, we like to employ steering groups or cluster cooperatives, which enable individuals to share insights, align on mutual goals and strengthen community ties. This trust-based approach nurtures collaboration between the agency and the community, as well as within the community itself, empowering local businesses and advancing sustainable tourism and economic development.

Charlotte Slater, Strategy & Projects Manager, Trove Tourism Development Advisors

Bring your data together to create a richer picture of your place.

There's one key asset both place marketing organisations and local businesses have, though in different forms—and that is data. Most marketing organisations have access to large-scale insights on tourist trends, demographics, and spending patterns, while local businesses hold rich zero- and first-party data, like customer preferences and feedback. This combination is invaluable for place marketing organisations looking to create personalised campaigns. For local businesses, it offers the ability to better understand consumer behaviour, tap into broader market trends, and stay competitive. Together, these data sources create a clear win-win, driving tourism, economic growth, and talent attraction while helping local businesses thrive.

Mirko Lalli, CEO, The Data Appeal Company

Integrate data to identify opportunities for collaborative initiatives.

To maximise the impact of partnerships, integrating tourism and business data is essential for understanding visitor trends and preferences. For example, analysing the duration of stays and the places visited allows for the development of better-targeted offerings. Affinity analyses, such as identifying that visitors to tourism attractions are more likely to visit specific types of boutiques, can lead to collaborative initiatives like joint events or bundled tourism packages. Predictive analyses of visitor frequentation help DMOs and businesses plan for visitation readiness, enhancing the client experience and optimizing staffing to ensure exceptional service during peak times.

These strategies not only enhance tourism appeal but also contribute to the local economy by fostering a vibrant environment where businesses thrive.

Nicolas Dessureault, Head of Sales, Propulso

Amplify your messaging through joint campaigns.

Place brands and local businesses can team up to promote their place’s strengths and attract tourists, investors, and talent. Forging partnerships not only strengthens the place’s reputation but also supports economic development as both place brands and businesses benefit. Sharing research insights can help businesses reach the right audiences more effectively, while reinforcing the place brand’s messaging among key audiences. Hosting joint events and trade shows boosts visibility and creates tangible opportunities for growth. Joint marketing campaigns build local businesses up as place brand ambassadors, extending their reach but also underscoring the vibrancy of the local economy through real-life examples that can inspire others to follow suit.

Konrad Jagodzinski, Place Branding Director, Brand Finance

Develop cultural propositions in partnership with your private sector.

Place marketing organisations (PMOs) can create strong partnerships with local businesses by focusing on strategies that benefit both sides. Working together on experience-led campaigns, like curated food tours or cultural events, promotes the destination while bringing customers to local businesses. Sharing data insights on visitor trends and behaviour helps businesses improve their services and attract more tourists and talent. PMOs can also support training to raise service standards and align businesses with the destination’s brand. Partnerships built on measurable results—such as increased revenue, visibility, or stronger market position—deliver long-term value for the local economy and community.

Semina Sarantopoulou, Account Director - Marketing & Events, TOPOSOPHY

Focus on shared goals.

Place marketing organisations can create win-win partnerships with local businesses by focusing on shared goals like growing tourism, boosting the economy, and attracting talent. This might look like teaming up on marketing campaigns that feature local businesses, putting on events that spark fresh ideas, or supporting sustainable tourism efforts. By inviting businesses to be part of the area’s branding and using data to spot new opportunities, these efforts can create plans that truly connect with people. Plus, these collaborations can help showcase the area as a vibrant place to live and work—benefiting everyone involved.

Jose Torres, CEO, Bloom Consulting

Be clear about your objectives.

Alignment with what ‘local’ means is essential — working with local businesses for a common goal to support tourism that, in turn, supports every facet of the destination. Think about the heritage of the businesses and create a partnership that aims to be a long-term relationship, embedding the values of the destination across the local economy. At the same time, establish authentic and transparent objectives that are visible and understandable, from sustainable best practices to community support — a win-win partnership is one that can grow organically with all parties working together and strategically, collaborating as equals with one eye on improvement for the greater good of the area.

Simon Moriarty, VP of Research & Analytics, MMGY Travel Intelligence

Understand which businesses can support you in different verticals.

You have three different sectors you want to promote: tourism, economic development, and talent attraction. First step, think of them as three sub-campaigns as part of a larger initiative. Then, generate a list of your local businesses and categorize them appropriately. Restaurants, activities, and cultural institutions will attract tourists. Real estate opportunities and infrastructure availability will spur economic development. And talent will seek top employers and businesses that are currently growing. Capture imagery from these categories—as well as testimonials and general buy-in from influential locals—to promote all three. The initiative should operate from a look-and-feel that’s similar across the board, but through targeting capabilities you’ll be able to hit demographic types germane to each sector of your audience. 

John Armstrong, Chief Creative Officer, Joy Riot

Equip your private sectors with brand assets to ensure you’re singing from the same hymn sheet.

One of the best ways you can supercharge your work by collaborating with local businesses is to share your brand narratives and resources via a digital brand toolkit. Through this, you can equip businesses to tell a compelling, unified story that aligns with your place identity. Sharing digital assets also allows businesses to confidently promote your place while strengthening their own brand. Also consider hosting workshops to teach businesses how to tell their own story in the context of the overarching place brand narrative. These sessions can inspire creativity, ensure alignment with your place brand, and foster a sense of community ownership.

Use a tool like Brandkit to ensure that everyone works with up-to-date, approved resources, building trust and efficiency. Ultimately, by empowering local businesses with free access to shared place brand resources, you can create a consistent brand experience that drives mutual success.

David Vaassen, Founder, Brandkit