7 Deadly Problems of Place Branding Projects: Lessons from Guadalajara

n case you were not following, Guadalajara, Mexico’s second-largest city, recently launched its new brand, only to experience significant public backlash. Although the logo was based on an iconic asset of the city -which triggers positive memories around the world- the public discontent about the visuals became widespread. Moreover, while the project did not cost a peso to taxpayers -as the design process was managed pro-bono by local talents- Mexicans blamed their officials for being cheap.

What went wrong with brand Guadalajara? Could the real problem be something other -bigger- than design? Let’s use Guadalajara as a case and analyze the seven deadly problems of place branding projects.

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Günter Soydanbay is a senior brand strategist agencies bring into the team when the obvious answers aren’t enough. Based in Brussels, he has worked with more than 150 brands and organisations across 19 countries. He sometimes describes his approach as psychotherapy for brands: looking underneath the presenting problem to understand what is really going on.

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