Advocating for place branding to unlock investment

Changing perceptions about a place that have been built up over tens - or even hundreds - of years isn’t a quick fix. There is no silver bullet for radically altering the opinions that people hold about your city, region, or nation; it takes sustainable commitment, over multiple years to begin to shift the needle. However, that also requires ongoing support from those who hold the purse strings. “Convincing budget holders to invest in a strong place brand and marketing strategy requires demonstrating its critical role in long-term economic and social success,” shared Lyn Lewis-Smith, CEO at BESydney. “While immediate challenges such as inflation and essential worker shortages dominate post-pandemic priorities, stewardship—acting now for future generations—must guide investment decisions. Place branding is not just about image; it’s about driving demand and positioning Sydney for future success.”As Lyn shares, its imperative that we keep our eyes on a long-term vision for our places to guide investment. Ahead of the City Nation Place Australasia conference in Sydney on February 12-13th, 2025, we asked our speakers how they advocate for their work to convince budget holders of the importance of investing in a strong place brand and marketing strategy.Delivering place brand-led solutions to your challengesWhen it comes to allocating government budgets, there are numerous competing demands for investment – many of which are equally urgent, like health care, education, and housing. When speaking to us, Brand Tasmania’s CEO Todd Babiak called for place leaders to have greater empathy for colleagues working in treasury, highlighting that “the greatest economic development strategy in the world won’t solve next week’s malaise in the emergency room.”However, place brands can and should be part of the conversations to tackle the challenges facing your community. “If we have a mature understanding of our unified brand strategy, who we are and what we do, at our best, we can help budget holders and policy makers with the most pressing, most complex issues in our communities,” Todd continued. “What is a deeply local, indigenous solution to the macro-economic mess we are facing, using our unique strengths?”Done right, place brand leaders can make sure that budget holders aren’t facing an either or situation; they can invest in your place brand strategy knowing that they’re also investing in solutions that will lift up your whole community.Brand Tasmania have launched a number of initiatives aimed to tackle some of the region’s most pressing challenges, including a lack of civic pride and self-belief in their residents – particularly their younger generations. For example, the Tasmanian Ideas Lab is an enterprise-focused curriculum resource for secondary school children to bring ‘Tasmanian Thinking’ into schools and give young people the tools to bring their passions to life. Meanwhile, Little Tasmanian helps connect parents to Tasmania-relevant information about the all-important first 1,000 days and to lay the foundations to address the region’s illiteracy rates.Set targets. Be accountable.Of course, you need to have more than good intentions; you also need the hard data to show that you are making a tangible difference. Brent Hill, CEO at Tourism Fiji, stressed that place brand and marketers shouldn’t be afraid to set a target range for KPIs, including a stretch target, and to find ways to tie marketing to conversion.Nicky Toresen, Director of Strategic Partnerships at New Zealand Story Group, pointed how feedback from private sector helps drive continued support for their programmes by underscoring the tangible benefits: “The continuous increase of companies joining the FernMark License Programme, New Zealand’s Government country-of-origin accreditation, and the enthusiasm from leading New Zealand brands, highlight the support and success of these strategies.”Transparency is key, and making your data accessible to your stakeholders in a clear, accessible manner is essential to achieving this.Long-term brand, not short-term winsAnother common challenge that place leaders run into is a desire for short-term wins. If your election cycle runs for four or five years, there’s an imperative to make as much impact as quickly as possible. However, successful place brand strategies depend on a continued presence to change perceptions – and this doesn’t always align with the targets that your budget holders are setting for you.“Often destinations get sucked into ‘performance or tactical’ marketing only, advertising specials and offers, to drive sales,” shared Tourism Fiji’s Brent Hill. “While there is some short-term lift, it does nothing to tell the consumer about the place or destination, and differentiate from the competition.”Securing long-term financial commitment also requires the ability to show long-term change. “BESydney’s research underscores this,” explained Lyn Lewis-Smith. “Business events bring sustained economic impact by fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, direct foreign investment, talent attractions, and industry growth. With lead times stretching years into the future, we must act as thought leaders, advocating for strategies that build resilience and future-proof Sydney’s economy now.”Use industry-backed evidence to support your claimsEducation is essential to demonstrate to budget holders that brand delivers over marketing alone. But in the first years of your strategy, it can be hard to demonstrate that long-term impact. However, you can navigate these challenges by leaning into research.“To uncover our place brand, we used Destination Think’s evidence-based methodology to understand what our residents thought of our region, what the rest of the world thought about Auckland, and what we were telling the world about our city,” outlined Shelley Watson, Director, Marketing, Communications & Growth, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited. “At the outset and to this day, we lean on the evergreen place brand evidence and partner with industry, to ensure we are aligned on and investing in the best place brand and marketing activity to support Auckland’s success.”It's also important to look outside your field as well. The importance of brand building is widely accepted in the private sector and many corporates including brand value on the balance sheet; this approach is just as applicable to a city as it is to a fizzy drink or a mobile phone.“Research shows our country brand is worth USD $250 billion, and a strong country image contributes towards more foreign direct investment, more tourism, and adds value to our products and services,” explained New Zealand Story’s Nicky Toresen. “A strong brand means trust. When people around the world trust New Zealand, they’re more likely to choose our products over others. The brand value of New Zealand is one of the country’s key strategic assets.”More than a logoFinally, it’s imperative that you take your budget holders on the journey with you so that they understand the breadth and depth of your work; after all, investment in a place brand is far more than a mere logo or a strapline.Anabelle Hender, Esperance Tourism Development Manager at Australia’s Golden Outback, summarised it effectively for us: “When developed authentically, a place brand fosters community pride, supports quality visitor experiences, and nurtures a symbiotic visitor-host relationship. [It’s] about aligning with the community’s aspirations to create a strategic brand that celebrates local identity.”City Nation Place Australasia returns August 6-7th, 2026, in partnership with Mainstreet Australia. Find out how you can join the discussions in Gold Coast here.

Advocating for place branding to unlock investment

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