Strategic Brand Consultancy
Meet Jose Filipe Torres, one of the best-known country branding practitioners in the world. We had an opportunity to pick his brain on the most pressing issues related to place branding. We asked, he answered. Candidly… This is the first installment of a three-article interview series with Jose Filipe Torres. Without further ado let’s turn …
Continue reading "What do countries really mean when they say “We need a brand”?"
Working with a destination is arguably the toughest brand assignment. Experts, such as Simon Anholt think that you cannot "brand" a place in the traditional sense of the word. As someone who got involved in a couple of place branding projects, I tend to agree. Here is why. Based on my personal experience, many branding projects …
(The below article was written for the city of Izmir to support its bid to host EXPO 2020. Although Izmir lost the bid to Dubai, it is my utmost hope that the ideas in this article will help Izmir in its noble pursuit of creating a healthier planet.)The World Health Organization defines the meaning of …
I was interviewed by Samantha J. Manniex, a passionate blogger and a place branding practitioner from the UK. It was a fun and insightful conversation. I am posting three questions and answers about my methodology. If you want to read the full interview, please click here. When you work on a branding campaign, especially destination branding, what are …
Continue reading "3 Questions 3 Answers about Place Branding"
Did you know that the success rate of a place-branding project is less than 15%? Turns out that most of the place-branding initiatives are prematurely ended within a year of introduction. You might think that such a high failure rate is outrageous. Unfortunately, as someone who has been involved in a couple of place branding projects, I …
Continue reading "How do you define success for a place-branding project?"
We had a pleasant chat with Professor William Straw, the Director of McGill Institute for the Study of Canada Professor, Department of Art History and Communications Studies. Professor Straw is interested in a range of topics, most of them having to do with media and cities. He is a world-renowned expert in urban culture. We asked him …
In Turkey, not a day goes by without a fascinating development... It seems like the Turkish protestors are on a mission to teach the world a lesson in 21st Century leadership. As you might know; a peaceful, local protest aimed to protect a public green space in Istanbul turned into a nationwide (even global!) movement …
Protests against oppression in Turkey are in full swing. And if you are willing to listen, the New Young Turks can teach your organization two great lessons: In the midst of a warlike situation, Turkish protestors built a fully functioning free public library. Why and how did they do it? Here is the first lesson: …
Did your key project fail to deliver the expected result? Has your organization undergone a massive restructuring process, yet nothing has changed? Did your city spend a fortune to brand itself, but in reality nobody has cared? Don’t feel bad, because you are not alone: Turns out 75% of organizational change projects do not yield the promised result. Let’s …
I am an immigrant living in Canada. Years ago, I decided to move here, and I could not be happier with my decision. If you are like me, which means if you are someone who enjoys observing and analyzing his surroundings, then living abroad is great fun. As an outsider, sometimes you see things that …