Annual Report 2017
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Values are stronger than slogans Oslo Brand Management 2017 Report Content Background 04 About the Oslo Brand Alliance 06 This is what we do together 08 Funding partners 10 The Oslo Brand Strategy 12 What is the Oslo brand? 14 Measuring progress 18 Brand Insight 20 Brand Toolbox 22 Brand Projects 24 Runway Oslo 26 The Great Escape 28 The Big O 32 Skam 34 Future Library Oslo 36 Oslo Innovation Week 38 The Nobel Peace Prize 41 Oslo Urban Peace Week 41 Oslo Freedom Forum 41 Guided by Fans 42 Table Tales 46 International press clips 48 Brand Meetings 52 Regional Business Development 53 Oslo: State of the City 54 Digital Footprint 60 2017 Results 62 Accounting 64 04 Background Oslo is one of the most unknown cities in the world. Anyone trying to get international attention for Oslo faces a tough challenge, as nobody chooses a city by coincidence, whether for investment purposes, employment, study, startups or travel. All in all, Oslo lacks visibility, and a memorable position as a brand. But we are improving. This invisibility, combined with a global trend The strategy process has involved almost 1.000 of urbanization, where other cities compete people from private business andpublic sector, actively to get recognized, was the driving from culture, academia, and organizations. force behind developing a Brand Management Strategy for the Oslo region. The process was Unlike many brand strategies that focus initiated by the City council in Oslo and the entirely on an individual city, this strategy Oslo Region Alliance in 2014. In June 2015 the takes a regional approach. The Oslo Region city government in Oslo and the board of the is gradually becoming more integrated with Oslo Region Alliance adopted the strategy respect to business structure, labour markets, unanimously. housing markets, leisure and culture. 06 About the Oslo Brand Alliance The Oslo Region alliance is a collaborative, political membership organisation, the goal of which is to strengthen the Oslo region as a competitive and sustainable region in Europe. The Oslo Region alliance was established in 2005 and consists of 79 local authorities, including the City of Oslo, Akershus, Buskerud, Hedmark, Oppland and Østfold counties and the municipalities surrounding Oslo. Oslo Business Region as works to raise the number of startups with international potential, combining startup support services with international profiling and regional business development. Oslo Business Region is a limited company fully owned by the municipality of Oslo, and was established 2014. To implement the strategy, the Oslo Brand Alliance (OBA) was established in January 2016, not as a formal organization, but as collaboration between Oslo Business Region, VisitOSLO VisitOSLO as is the official marketing and The Oslo Region alliance. These institutions have organization for Oslo and the surrounding regions. VisitOSLO is a limited company with established mandates and resources central to the place share holders from the city’s travel trade and brand management, and they already cooperate with many commerce. The company is responsible for visitor services such as the official tourist regional and national bodies and organisations concerned information office Oslo Visitor Centre and the with marketing of Oslo and Norway worldwide. official website. www.visitoslo.com 08 This is what we do together The Oslo Brand Alliance orchestrates the broad collaboration needed between public and private organisations in the region, to get international recognition. The Oslo Brand alliance implements the strategy thru: Brand Insight These efforts come in addition to all the three organizations having implemented the Oslo brand strategy into their core business. The three organizations have different roles in the Oslo Brand Brand Toolbox Alliance: Oslo Business Region and VisitOSLO have been in charge of brand Brand Projects insight, brand toolbox and brand projects. The Oslo Region alliance has worked with the municipalities and the counties in the region in order to get them to contribute financially. All three have been involved in brand meetings. Brand Meetings Oslo Business Region has taken the lead in coordinating the parties, and in developing action plans and reporting. 10 Partners In 2017 the following municipalities and counties have contributed to the funding of Oslo Brand Alliance: Oslo Brand Alliance 2017 Oslo Skedsmo Akershus fylkeskommune Fredrikstad Asker Vestby Bærum Lunner Nes (Ak.) Holmestrand Ullensaker Hof Tønsberg Løten Funding Hamar Stange Lørenskog Ringsaker The municipality of • The municipality of Oslo (thru Oslo Business The funding in the region is based on a fixed Ringerike Region): 2,6 mill NOK fee per inhabitant, NOK 1,-. Oslo, which is both Oslo, together with 20 a municipality and a region, pays a double fee Jevnaker municipalities in the region • From municipalities and county authorities per inhabitant. Hole in the region (thru the Oslo Region alliance): Østfold fylkeskommune and 3 county authority 3,4 mill NOK funded the work of the Oslo Gjerdrum • Total funding 2017: 6 mill Brand Alliance in 2017: Hedmark fylkeskommune 12 Vision: The best is yet to come off brand off brand Values: Pioneering, Enriching, Real off brand off brand Goal: the world’s favourite compact city off brand off brand OSLO young pionering The Oslo Brand Strategy city off brand off brand The Oslo Brand Management Strategy was addopted by the municipalities and counties in the Oslo Region in 2015. This brand strategy helps all stakeholders to build Oslo’s identity internationally, deliberately developing and demonstrating Oslo’s values through appropriate and aligned actions. To implement Oslo’s international brand management strategy, the Oslo Brand Alliance (OBA) was The KPI’s for OBA are: established in 2016. This is not a formal organisation, but has worked as a collaboration between Oslo Business Region, VisitOSLO and The Oslo Region alliance. 1 2 3 The Oslo Brand Alliance orchestrates the broad collaboration needed between public and private organisations in the region, to get international recognition. We implement the strategy thru Attention Image Support oslobrandbox.no, strategic projects, workshops and brand meetings. In 2017 we hired a Brand increase Oslo’s digital footprint is the increased attention increase the number of Manager to be in charge of operations and to maintain and develop the toolbox. (social media and press) building the right image of Oslo stakeholders getting on-brand. by 20% yearly. 14 What is the Oslo brand? Pioneering, enriching and real Oslo is a compact city, with a short distance between concrete and grass. Between people and power. Work and play. Office and home. Career and family. Combine this with almost 5.000 live cultural performances a year, a booming startup scene, internationally ac- knowledged architecture and new neighbour- hoods coming alive – with the most tech savvy people on earth – and you get the essence of Oslo. We don’t believe in empty slogans. We live by our values every day: pioneering, enriching and real. Oslo IS the brand. Oslo is Greater Oslo Oslo is the brand for the region as a whole and when we go out in the world, it´s impor- tant to remember that we are on the same mission. We are not competitiors, we are partners and allies. To increase attention, the right image and to make sure the world get to know us we have to stand together under one brand. 18 Messuring progress Brand building is an ultra-marathon, and not a 100-meter dash. It takes time to become internationally visible and recognized. That said, it is important to measure progress in all the small steps taken. Our KPI’s are meant to provide an overview of the implementation of the strategy, and allow for timely evaluation and adjustment of the related activities. The three KPI areas for Oslo Brand Alliance are: It is easy to think that key performance indicators for the Oslo 1. Attention Brand Alliance should be related to growth in numbers of Oslo is not yet well known international visitors, investors, students and more. These are by the world, and it’s the wanted long time effects of branding. But key performance imperative for Oslo to increase indicators as these are not directly related to the work of Oslo its visibility. We measure Brand Alliance, they are covered within the core business of the international attention VisitOSLO, Oslo Business Region and The Oslo Region alliance, Oslo gets in press and social as well as other organizations in the region. media (digital footprint). 2. Image KPI’s for the Oslo Brand Alliance Is the image of Oslo changing must indicate to what extent the in the right direction? We analyse international press perception of Oslo is changing in the coverage and progress in the strategically chosen direction. yearly Oslo: State of the city benchmark analysis. 3. On brand actions and support So, in this setting, it is more fruitful to talk about key perception We want to give Oslo attention indicators, to underline the place brand management approach and recognition on the we’ve chosen. Of course, these are still in effect key performance international stage through an indicators when taking the managerial viewpoint. increasing number of on-brand activities involving more and more stakeholders. We conduct a stakeholder survey, a citizen survey, and we track the usage of the brand toolbox. 20 Brand Insight The Oslo performance spidergram in 2017: Cities all over the world are competing for talent, visitors, investors and attention. We love Oslo, but how are we really Business-friendliness 10 doing in an international perspective? Influence and status Productivity 9 Transparency 7 Innovation and reliability 6 5 Competencies and 4 Quality and integrity knowledge 3 2 1 Social stability 0 Leisure and recreation Welcoming Personal safety to foreigners Sustainability Friendliness and resilience Attractiveness Work-life balance to talent Attractiveness to visitors Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.