How to brand a city?

Using the examples of New York City and Porto, this article looks into city branding and city identities.

Mexico City’s “CDMX” (Ciudad de México) branding is relatively new and has by now changed its colours to green, but it is a good example of how to create a clear identity. Source: Wikimedia

Each city needs a brand identity that can represent it properly. However, many cities only use tourist-focused campaigns or outdated brands, which is why the topic is more important than ever. Ideally, city branding should be oriented towards the future direction of the city. It can represent a vision or a call for action, but these should be directed at its own citizens, rather than at visitors alone.

More than a logo, a city brand should create or at least represent a city’s soul. This is why city branding is a complex and complicated topic: Cities themselves are so diverse and often chaotic that it can be hard to find a unifying feature. The city branding will eventually be used in all kinds of ways, for example on city waste trucks, on municipal letters, in hospitals, on official vehicles and for touristic purposes.

By branding the “pulse” of a city, you need to work with all stakeholders. Participatory workshops can help to bring key leaders and community representatives to the table in order to discuss a city’s DNA, its brand positioning, its values, its future plans and its desired representation. This way, urban planners and marketing experts can make sure that the branding appeals to all citizens, not just to tourists.

Successful city branding should have these elements:

- It should evoke emotions

- It should be about citizens, not just about city leaders

- It should have a clear statement

- It should have a “why”

- It should be iconic and timeless

- It should use simple storytelling mechanisms

- It should include heritage as well as vision

Popular slogans and touristic campaigns are also a necessary part of city marketing. However, these usually do not encapsulate the city’s essence and are therefore temporary campaigns directed at outsiders, rather than long-term brandings that can even direct a city’s development.

Take, for example, the famous “I ❤ NY” slogan — this was part of a campaign. It has…