THE CITY BRANDING DILEMMA: WHAT MAKES A GLOBAL CITY BRAND?

In his article, the author argues that city branding is a kind of life buoy for some local authorities and governments to attract investors and tourists. It is overused, misused, and makes many people think of superficial marketing tricks. In most cases, attractive logos, similar taglines on empty promises, and fat budgets on advertising are used for branding, yielding nothing in return. He points out that governments should help the world understand the real, complex, rich, diverse nature of their people and landscapes, their history and heritage, and their products and resources. The author emphasizes that more engagement, not simply communication, with the rest of the world can raise the profile of cities. By drawing conclusions from Saffron Brand Consultants' "global city brand barometer" report, he points to the correlation between two aspects of a city's brand: its "assets" and its "buzz."