Place Branding and Place Promotion Efforts in the Baltic Sea Region – a Situation Analysis
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PLACE BRANDING AND PLACE PROMOTION EFFORTS IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION – A SITUATION ANALYSIS JUNE 2010 ] [DRAFT Baltic Metropoles BaltMet Promo PLACE BRANDING AND PLACE PROMOTION EFFORTS IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION - A SITUATION ANALYSIS Foreword This report has been produced as a part of the the marketing of the Baltic Sea Region and its BaltMet Promo project. It will be presented at countries, regions and cities. the project’s kickoff 31 May 2010, organised in connection with the Baltic Development Forum If you know of any activity or organisation that Summit, 1-2 June 2010 in Vilnius. is missing in the report, or if you have any ideas for how it could be further developed, please Please note that this is a draft version. The final send your feedback and comments to the author, version will be published in October 2010, in Marcus Andersson at Baltic Development Forum connection with the second Policy Roundtable on [email protected] or tel: +45 60 21 85 76, no of the BaltMet Promo project following a later than 15 August 2010. consultation process with stakeholders active in 1 PLACE BRANDING AND PLACE PROMOTION EFFORTS IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION - A SITUATION ANALYSIS Table of contents Foreword ................................................. 1 Efforts in the South and South-Western Baltic Sea Region .... 24 Table of contents .................................... 2 Nordic, Scandinavian and Baltic States Introduction ............................................. 3 initiatives with a branding or place promotion dimension ............................ 26 Acknowledgements ................................ 3 Nordic and Scandinavian About the author ..................................... 4 initiatives ......................................... 26 Definitions and delimitations ................... 5 Baltic initiatives ............................... 28 What is place branding and Companies with a Baltic Sea Region place promotion? ............................ 5 positioning ............................................. 29 About BaltMet Promo .............................. 7 Nation-Branding efforts in the BSR Transnational Baltic Sea Region countries ............................................... 32 efforts and actors .................................... 8 Sub-national efforts: cities and “Branding the Baltic Sea Region” – cross-border areas ................................ 45 background and timeline ................ 8 Major cities ..................................... 45 Branding the Baltic Sea Region: Cross-border branding efforts spin-offs and related activities with implications for the BSR ........... 49 to the project ................................. 11 Awards, nominations and hosting of Tourism efforts ................................. 12 international events ............................... 52 Investment promotion efforts .......... 14 Positioning, catchphrases and Promotion of culture, common slogans .................................................. 54 identity and talent attraction .......... 16 The current state of the image of Promotion and branding efforts the region ............................................. 55 of pan-Baltic organisations and Final observations ................................. 56 networks ......................................... 17 Sources and further reading .................. 57 The European Union policy framework .. 20 Annex 1: Video features about Current transnational projects in branding the Baltic Sea Region ............. 60 the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007–2013 ..................................... 21 Draft report produced in May 2010, in collaboration between: BaltMet Promo 2 PLACE BRANDING AND PLACE PROMOTION EFFORTS IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION - A SITUATION ANALYSIS Introduction The purpose of this report is to map existing The overall objective is thus to be able to make full organisations, networks, projects and activities that use of synergy and complementarity with other are geared towards marketing the Baltic Sea Region initiatives and organisations. At the same time, as a whole, or considerable parts of it. The report the report wants to facilitate a wider discussion on also aims to present information about the overall the international marketing and attractiveness of situation and political framework in which the the Baltic Sea Region, and how various initiatives BaltMet Promo project is operating. and actors can pool resources and coordinate their work better. The objectives are to facilitate an alignment of the BaltMet Promo project and its objectives with those of other promotion and place-branding efforts, and identify key stakeholders in the project, but also to avoid duplication of work already being done by others. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank the many Valbjørn Sørensen, Branding Denmark Task contributors to the various parts of this report. Force, Violeta Makauskienė and Irma Juškėnaitė, Dr. Magdalena Florek, Department of Trade INVEST LITHUANIA, Søren Leerskov and and Marketing, Poznan University of Economics Kjell Ellefsen, Scandinavian Tourist Board and Dr. Seppo Rainisto, Meritleader Int. Asia-Pacific, Per Ekman, Tendensor AB, Jenny Oy, wrote parts of and provided input to the Kornmacher, Region Skåne/City of Hamburg, chapters on the nation branding of Poland and Bo Nylandsted Larsen, Cruise Baltic and Marju Finland respectively. The BaltMet Promo partner Mihkelsoo, Enterprise Estonia, who provided cities provided information about their cities’ information and feedback on their respective marketing activities. Jørgen P.T. Christensen, organisation’s activities or projects. Baltic Development Forum (BDF), provided analysis and advice, Ditte Folke Henriksen, Finally, the author would like to thank the BDF, provided research assistance, informal editorial committee for the report, Una Bergmane and Irina Stepanova, composed of Dr. Magdalena Florek, Dr. Seppo InPrint, Latvia, were responsible for Rainisto and Mats Hellström, fm. County the layout, and Lawrence White of English Governor of Stockholm, Sweden, who provided support ApS did the proofreading. important feedback on the draft report. Thanks also goes to Ojārs Kalniņš, Latvian Institute, Börje Svanborg, Invest Sweden, Brian 3 PLACE BRANDING AND PLACE PROMOTION EFFORTS IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION - A SITUATION ANALYSIS About the author Marcus Andersson is the Head of Public Affairs and Crossing Perspectives – the Baltic Sea Region. at BDF. He is currently working on the BaltMet His study on “Ambassador networks and place Promo project and has previously worked on branding” (co-authored with Per Ekman) BDF’s efforts to build a brand for the Baltic Sea published in the Journal of Place Management and Region. He has also worked for the Swedish Development was chosen as a Highly Commended Government and the European Commission, in Award Winner at the Emerald Literati Network policy areas such as innovation, entrepreneurship Awards for Excellence 2010. He is a member and sustainable development. of the expert group of the Association of Place Branding and Public Diplomacy and has an MSc in Marcus also functions as the Director of Research Business and Economics and an MA in Political and Business Development at Tendensor AB Science. He regularly gives talks and lectures on (formerly Geobrands), regarded as the leading topics such as branding of supranational regions, place-branding consultancy in Sweden. He has nation branding, public-private partnerships conducted research on nation-branding and in place branding, identity formation and been published in various international journals, international cooperation. including Place branding and Public Diplomacy 4 PLACE BRANDING AND PLACE PROMOTION EFFORTS IN THE BALTIC SEA REGION - A SITUATION ANALYSIS Definitions and delimitations What is place branding and place place buyers and the positioning of the place. With promotion? positioning is meant the process by which place marketers try to create an image or identity of the The term place branding refers to a country, place in the minds of their target audience, often region, city or a tourist destination, and to their in relation to a market or the competition. competition for tourists, investors, residents and other resources. One way of seeing a brand is as a According to research and established practice, conceptual entity that creates positive, unique and the practice of place-branding can offer the means distinguishable associations, and branding involves to achieve not only economic but to some extent creating and maintaining these associations. also social and cultural benefits. It can promote the attractiveness of a place for investors, export The view taken here is that place branding is buyers, tourists, residents, employees and students. based on a strategic approach to reputation It can also be a place-development tool, in the management, stipulating that a change of image sense that it can serve to focus questions of identity is an ongoing, holistic, interactive and wide- and vision, and provide driving force and direction scale process, requiring much more than a quick in the development efforts of a place. Furthermore, change of logo or slogan. Thus, brand management it is said to have a potential to mobilise civic for a city, country or a tourist destination does pride; that is to make the inhabitants of a place not merely consist of attaching new labels and more aware and proud of its uniqueness and creating messages, but consolidates the essential achievements. characteristics of the individual