Geneva Place Branding Strategy
Supporting regions on their place branding strategy
Project: Geneva Place Branding
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Industries: Government, Event, Tourism
Date: 2019-2020
The Challenge
The image and reputation of a city are tremendously crucial for its economic development. Place branding can trigger a strategic mindset, offer tools to navigate challenging contexts successfully and support the development of vibrant and multifaceted places like Geneva.
Geneva already has a strong brand and displays multiple ecosystems. However, fragmented initiatives and lack of coordination and co-creation inhibit the place branding potential of this city. As a result, a shared vision and a strategic plan on place branding have not yet emerged.
The Solution
The first step, provided by Conexkt, was to share essential knowledge about place branding’s critical concepts based on the emerging field of practice and research of the last two decades. Conexkt wrote a strategic plan for the canton of Geneva. Various questions were tackled, such as what is a place brand? What is a place branding strategy? What can or cannot be expected from it? We showed examples of best practices of place branding worldwide. We highlighted the necessity to understand place branding beyond the creation of logos and the need to build an inclusive process for all stakeholders from the start.
Next, we analyzed the relevance of launching a place branding strategy for Geneva and presented existing methodologies to implement it. Place branding is about co-creation with various stakeholders. It should ideally adopt a bottom-up approach. We interviewed various leaders from different industries and government agencies. We took into account the vibrant and well-established ecosystem of international Geneva. When doing so, we identified stakeholders that already embrace the idea of a commonplace branding initiative for Geneva as a whole. These stakeholders would become key actors to move forward successfully with such an endeavour.
See our free place branding toolkit
Although the implementation of such a strategy is never linear, we can select tools to put a successful process in place (see our toolkit.) Based on our analysis, we recommended a tailor-made methodology to be applied, considering different scenarios, and suggested specific steps for Geneva to develop a place branding strategy and implement it for the years to come.
We suggested putting in place a flexible structure in charge of strategy that would include all stakeholders while at the same time starting small with steps at the operational level. All existing initiatives should inspire these actions. Geneva is a highly dynamic city. Some activities could be integrated into a strategic plan and would perfectly fit under an umbrella brand. This would allow fragmented efforts and projects to join a commonplace brand vision.
“Place branding is not about selling a place, but about compelling people to discover, live and innovate within the space.”
Watch Dr. Renaud Vuignier’s talk on Place Branding during the 2020 Conexkt Days.
POST-Pandemic
The current pandemic represents a significant challenge for Geneva, like all places around the world. The economy and the sectors most affected by the pandemic happen to be essential for place branding (e.g., tourism and creative industries). They need support through emergency plans, grants, and loans.
In addition, the pandemic forces different stakeholders involved in the place branding strategy for Geneva to rethink mobility, public health, and life–work balance. A place branding strategy should address these new challenges. It should even outline the opportunity to include sustainability, diversity, and quality of life as new critical assets of the Geneva brand.