Location branding promotes a geographic location to induce consumers to think of it when buying certain products or engaging in activities. It requires identifying specific characteristics relevant to the area and careful planning for success. It can increase tourism and improve the local economy.
Also known as location branding or destination branding, location branding is a marketing concept that has to do with promoting a geographic location, creating an image that induces consumers to think of that place when they want to buy certain products or engage in certain types of activities. The idea behind this type of branding effort is to generate additional interest that prompts people to think of that location first when and how they want to engage with certain activities as part of a vacation or other event. While the concept itself has been around for many years, the place brand designation has only come to light since the beginning of the 21st century.
To effectively utilize location branding, it is important to identify specific characteristics relevant to a particular geographic area. These characteristics can relate to natural resources, recreation, industry, the arts, or any number of other factors that can be identified as reasons why people would want to visit the city or area. For example, cities and communities located along a coastline often highlight their beaches and ample fishing opportunities as part of their public relations strategies. The end result is that people who want sand and surf or deep sea fishing begin to associate this area with these recreational events.
The Place brand is a great way to increase tourism and bring additional funds into the local economy. Once a city or community has a reputation as an ideal location for certain activities, the tourism industry in that area can create many job opportunities for local residents, bring in additional industries that help support the influx of visitors, and in generally improve the region’s economic prospects. For example, if a community establishes a reputation as the birthplace and unofficial ongoing headquarters of a particular music genre, devotees of that genre will frequently visit the area, prompting hotel chains to build facilities in the area, even when restaurants establish a presence as a way to generate profits from this influx.
It’s important to note that location branding requires careful planning for the effort to be successful. Trying to build a reputation that associates a place with certain features only works if those features are a recognizable and important part of the community. This means that the attempt to build a brand as the home of the region’s best peaches will only work if an abundance of peaches are actually grown there, and they are of relatively high quality.
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