Place branding and community engagement
There is an expression in community development, “Nothing about me, without me.” That sums up the attitude of many citizen groups in terms of engagement in decisions about their place. What used to be viewed as a nice-to-have is now a pre-requisite for diverse types of local development and placebranding initiatives.
People care deeply about decisions that impact their home turf. Not surprisingly, they want to have a more direct say in decisions that will shape the future of their locale and their lives. Places with smart governments are leveraging the “wisdom of the crowd” by creating open, transparent platforms for input on ways to improve the local quality of life. In Medellín, Columbia, for example, the MiMedellín program allows citizens to propose solutions for urban problems. To date, more than 18,500 ideas have already been posted. In the nearby city of Rionegro the Alcaldia has put citizen participation at the heart of its decision to create a city brand and marketing strategy with a major survey of citizens current perceptions of the city as the precursor to a major consultation programme on what might constitute the building blocks of the new brand strategy. In Iceland, a similar program, “Better Reykjavik,” has been used by over 60% of citizens. Each month, the five top rated ideas are evaluated by a standing committee. City council has invested €1.9 million to develop over 200 projects based on ideas suggested by the community.
The challenge for placebranders can be knowing how, and when, to engage locals in the somewhat less tangible, but equally important, work of brand building.
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