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 share­holders 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. That is why we ask the outside world how they perceive and experience Oslo. This insight shapes the priorities of the Oslo Brand Alliance’s projects.

As no standard “Pisa survey” exists to evaluate Oslo, we have developed an attraction barometer­ for Oslo. The tailor made tool is developed by the Business of Cities Group Ltd London, and is ­reported yearly. The analysis is part of Oslo Business Region’s core mandates, and thus not On the bright side: ­funded thru Oslo Brand Alliance. • We are becoming an internationally important location for entrepreneurship and innovation. For the third year running, “Oslo: State of the city” assesses Oslo’s current performance and • Oslo is 4th of 50 global cities for climate change leadership, and Oslo’s social and ­environmental ­international reputation from a database of more than 400 benchmarks and 20 000 data points. model is a big advantage. What is the state of Oslo? How is the quality of life? The arts and cultural life? The governance? • Hospitality is the area that has improved most since this 2015. The business climate How visible is Oslo internationally? Is Oslo perceived as a green city? • Oslo is now performing more strongly in indexes that reflect perceptions of urban lifestyle, A city of arts and culture? ­aesthetics and the natural environment. • Familiarity with some of its vibrant neighborhoods are driving this increased visibility which Read the highlights from Oslo: State of the city from page 54, or read the whole thing on means Oslo is included in more rankings of ‘cool’, ‘exciting’, and ‘high quality’ cities. oslobrandbox.no­ • The perception gap regarding Oslo’s cultural offerings is vital to fill for the next coming years. Brand Toolbox

Being a pioneer, Oslo has decided to skip a logo and a slogan for branding purposes. We believe actions speak louder than words, and that values are stronger than slogans.

Instead of logoes and slogans, we have the oslobrandbox.no. It contains films, brand cases,­ ­photos, brand filter, facts about Oslo and various information about our beloved region and about the brand strategy.

We have continued to develop the toolbox in 2017, sharing best practice, and building relevant content. Being more active in promoting the oslobrandbox.no, we have had a huge increase in visitors and downloads.

We also launched the toolbox for Kunnskap Oslo. This toolbox is integrated with the existing ­toolbox, and features tools developed to market Oslo towards international students, scientists and knowledge workers.

What do people need when they hit the international stage with Oslo as their selling point? Our films are downloaded over 1000 times, but it´s still all about the photos. Photos ofBjørvika, ­ the Oslofjord, downtown Oslo and panorama views over the city are the most popular. From staying at our site 1 min 54 sec as average, the users now stay 2 min 35 sec. Photos and films from ­oslobrandbox.no are used by the city of Oslo, the municipalities of Greater Oslo, private events and gatherings. All our material is free to use – as long as it is used to promote OSLO. 735% 526% increase increase in in visitors downloads 24 In 2017, we have been working with the following brand projects:

Innovation/business Subsea Valley conference Nor-Shipping Katapult Future Fest Oslo Innovation Week Runway Oslo

Oslo in general The Great Escape OSL/Lonely Planet Oslo – Learning to fly (a new book on urban development of Oslo, by Erling Fossen)

Culture Torgny Amdam, Oslo video “Into the night” Future Library Oslo The Big O Øya – Guided by Fans Runway Oslo Oslo Urban Arena Ladies Tour of Norway

Brand projects 2017 Peace Coordinated PR/journalist efforts for: Oslo Freedom Forum Business for Peace Brand projects are on-brand events and projects in the region OBA does not hold or take over the marketing Oslo Urban Peace Week responsibility for the individual projects; our with international potential. Oslo Brand Alliance contributes efforts come on top of what the project does. The Nobel Peace Prize to increase the attention for Greater Oslo internationally, We support projects by working with PR, social media and growth hack marketing techniques. beyond what the projects achieve themselves. When Oslo is Regional Lessons learned from the projects are built in the international limelight – we try to amplify the effect. into the toolbox. Table Tales (food videos) 26 Oslo Runway

VisitOSLO’s media team coordinated the Oslo aspect of the event, providing information, coordinating city sightseeing and practical aspects of the visit.

International media from China, Japan, USA, Germany, Italy and Denmark were present. Our direct involvement generated 11 quality press results. Here are a few highlights.

Teen Vogue USA Global Times China Elle Japan 28 Background The Great Escape Oslo International studies show that Oslo is ­completely unknown in the world. When ­Scandinavia is in focus, Copenhagen and ­Stockholm get all the glory, and “­Scandimania” has yet to include Oslo as a must visit destination.­

Oslo Brand Alliance (Oslo Business Region,­ This is the story of how we put Oslo on the ­international ­VisitOSLO and Oslo Region), a municipally­ map, by bailing out ­unhappy ­tourists from other European ­funded initiative­ to promote Oslo internationally,­ wanted to put Oslo on the map last summer by capitals and ­offering them a great escape. ­finding an innovative, efficient and digital way of promoting the city internationally­ in line with their values:­ groundbreaking,­ enriching and real. There was a limited budget for the project and a prerequisite­ in the brief was to think smart, different and bold.

Goal The goal was to attract international attention to Oslo in a new and noncommercial way. We ­wanted to show Oslo as strong alternative to other big cities with long queues, scorching weather and overcrowded tourist attractions.

Strategy Our idea was based on one of Europe’s fastest growing issues affecting not only the­ ­tourist ­industry, but also the local population. ­Overtourism in Europe is a truly a critical problem. The continent is visited by over 500 million per year and some European capitals are at the brink of exhaustion due to “­people pollution”. Oslo however, is a young and ­developing capital. With a booming art and culture scene Oslo can finally compete with larger European capitals, offering a spacious and sustainable destination all year around.

We wanted to show tourists that Oslo is the Queen of Nordic Cool and portray the diversity of activities that is Oslo in a fun and creative way to attract people’s attention.

Creative execution With a desire to save tourists from bad ­experiences with people pollution, we searched 30

million6 views 12x more engagement than the clients average Facebook posts

social media­ and picked up a distress call on Instagram from two Kiwis visiting the Louvre and ­documenting a sea of selfies while trying to get a glimpse of the famous Mona Lisa. Oslo too has one of the world´s most iconic pictures, the Scream by Munch, but without all the people. So we decided to offer the couple a bail out; jump ship for an unforgettable 48 Hours in Oslo. Although the couple “I don’t think we could first thought the request was a Norwegian version of the Nigeria letter, they chose to bet on Oslo, 23 000 1 800 reactions comments and were rewarded with two days full of culture, food extravaganza and fun entertainment. have ­predicted any of the activities that we Results 3 000 2.12 The couple´s snapshot of what Oslo has to offer has now been viewed by nearly 9 times the have done in Oslo. shares average viewtime ­population of Oslo. Lasting nearly 4 minutes, the film has managed to capture viewers in a way on YouTube rarely seen in online material with thousands of comments from people eager to visit. The film For us to feel this has also been featured in numerous travel, news and advertising articles around the world, truly placing Oslo on the map as a great destination for a big city escape. Even without paid way ­after only just media ­support a part from moderate Facebook boosting, the film has received over 5.4 million views in social media with 90% of the views coming from international audiences. The film has 48 hours here, I think gained 12 times more involvement in VisitOSLO social media platforms than their usual content, which ­normally also achieves a lot of response. The Great Escape Oslo film has generated thou- says a lot about what sands of positive comments and wishes to be whisked off to Oslo, which has opened up exciting 90% ­opportunities to continue building Oslo as a brand and destination. the city has to offer.” of all views are international viewers – Marela Glavas Lonely Planet has happily also accepted Oslo as a destination worthwhile and our wonderful ­capital ended up on their prestigious Top 10 list of cities to visit in 2018. Oslo has also been ­featured in top lists by Harper’s Bazar and the New York Times, so a lot points to 2018 being Oslo´s breakthrough year, something we are truly proud to have contributed to. 32 The Big O 2017

«Culture is “an engine for skill enhancement”; for others, it will create a “sense of place” and can encourage companies to relocate» UK Cities Culture report 2015.

To close the cultural perception gap about Oslo internationally, The Big O cooperate with existing projects, institutions and artists. In 2017, we held a compact The Big O «festival» in September as the closing party of Oslo Innovation Week at Salt Art Music.

The compact festival was a collaboration, a «dugnad» with the following institutions and artists: the Magnum photographer Jonas Bendiksen with his slide show «The Last Testament», screening of the Oslo film «Thelma» followed by and a q&a with director Joachim Trier, the Stardust Quar- tet from the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the perfor-mance art duo Sexy Boyfriends with «Sexy Bydel», TORGNY, Eivind Henjum and exper-imental dancer Ida Wigdel, Billie Van with band, the Canadian professor and hip hop artist Narcy, sauna session with DJ Joachim Haugland from Small- town Supersound, and afterparty in Naustet (the boathouse) with Oslo World and B2B ONKOD DJs.

86% 78% 100% of the audience say would recommend of the partners found the they would come back to The Big O to others ­collaboration useful and want The Big O next time to continue to be a partner Here are the main press results 34 Skam from 2017:

Argentina La Nación Our media team worked with SKAM-related press enquiries – Los limites de la idolatria throughout the year. Denmark Elle.dk – Dagens bedste nyhed: Kom på SKAM-tur i Oslo Woman.dk – Denne nyhed er helt genial for alle os, der hungrer efter endnu mere SKAM Mx.dk – SKAM-guide: her er kortet over de bedste SKAM-steder i Oslo

France Grazia Magazine/Grazia.fr – Skam, pépite norvégienne

Finland Helsingin Sanomat – Tuore ja hauska ­kaupunkikulttuuri kukoistaa ­vaihtoehtoisessa Oslossa Aamulehti.fi – Aiotko Osloon? – Katso tästä hittisarja Skamin aitojen tapahtumapaikkojen osoitteet Aamulehti.fi – Sana, Magnus vai Vilde, Skam-fanien arvailu kuumenee – olisiko seuraava päätähti upea muslimityttö?

Sweden TV4 – Tv-succé lockar turistar till Oslo och SKAM-skolan

UK New Statesman – Skam: how a cult teen drama has fans invading sets, stalking characters’ Instagrams and learning Norwegian 36 Future Library 45.8 mill reach in social media The Future Library is a vote of confidence. Humanity will make it to 2114. 11 000 Facebook live stream viewers

One thousand trees have been planted in Nordmarka, a forest just outside Oslo, which will supply paper for a special anthology of 124 media articles books to be printed in one hundred years globally time. Between now and then, one writer every year will contribute a text, with the writings held in trust, unpublished, until the year 2114. The project was conceived by Katie Paterson during the summer of 2014. It is managed by the Future Library Trust and supported by the Buffalo Grid City of Oslo. The Trampery

Canadian author Margaret Atwood was the Zinc VC first one asked to join the initiative in 2015, Smedvig Capital followed by English novelist David Mitchell in Entrepreneurship 1 2016. This year Icelandic poet Sjón sub-mitted his manuscript – one his contemporaries will, ICT Norway in all likelihood, never read. Greener Events

Sjón compared the Future Library project ReSpace Projects to the cathedrals of Europe that took 200 to Hafslund 300 years to make. “They were ­generational Esplorio ­projects,” he said. “Maybe with all the ­challenges we are facing today, like climate Ducky change, we need more projects that help us Remarkable City to think in generations.” London & Partners

The Future Library demonstrates the values Schneider of Oslo: pioneering, enriching and real, and Fredrik Hult the art project has gained huge ­international fame. Oslo Brand Alliance helps cre-ate Oslo Business Region international attention thru social media and press. 38 Oslo Innovation Week

Oslo Innovation Week brings 11.000 startups, tech experts, 142 investors, influencers, creatives, decision makers and leaders event organizers together to form new powercouples, solve global challenges and move forward. 53 11 000 Oslo Innovation Week is a public-private ­dugnad, inviting Norway and the world to Oslo to a events attendees ­weeklong innovation ­conference 25th–29th September. Entering its 12th year, we ­decided it was time to tie the whole ­conference up to UN’s Sustainable ­Development Goals.

Oslo Innovation Week have an ­international focus, because the competition is global. It must also have a clear and interesting ­mission, and fill an empty position in an overcrowded event industry. The ambition is to position Oslo Innovation Week as the leading conference globally, showcasing real solutions to UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Oslo showcases action, where other conferences just talk. 281 More than 50 events showcased real solutions to UN’s SDGs, mixing entrepreneurs, industry speakers ­leaders, innovators and tech-people with a shared sense of urgency. 27% 49% international speakers female speakers 40 international journalists

136 95.2 media articles mill. reach digital media The OIW manifesto 40 The Nobel Peace Prize Oslo Freedom ­Forum

With regards to the 2017 ­Nobel VisitOSLO’s media team assisted All events at Oslo Innovation Week 2017 had to address or highlight Peace Prize, the ­VisitOSLO International media by ­hosting a business solution that solves a global challenge, connected to the SDGs. ­media team sought to reach an information desk at the To better understand what Oslo Innovation Week is, we developed The OIW to a younger ­international ­venue. ­audience that might not ­Manifesto – a guide to event organizers, speakers, journalists, sponsors Our media team coordinated a visit of the ­necessarily have heard of the and everyone involved. This is part of a longer strategic development. Oslo fjord (boat trip) and a city sightseeing ­prestigious event before. for some of the journalists invited by Oslo Freedom Forum to the event. The goal was to present the Nobel Peace event as an important and integral part of Although no press results were ­directly 1 2 3 a city that lives and breathes events, be received, we refer to the official report them cultural, musical, artistic and more. ­provided by Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF). OIW sets the agenda for Actions speak Powercouples drive With that in mind we ­invited a group of Hereby ­example regarding International the business solutions louder than words the future of innovation international bloggers, influencers and press coverage: ­Instagrammers with considerable ­following to the UN’s Sustainable OIW is all about innovation in The future lies in bridging differences.­ action, no motivational talks or Between stablished businesses­ and a focus on urban lifestyle to cover the • The Economist sent a film crew from Development Goal boring debates about what we, and the newcomers.­ Between­ public event, as well as to experience everything ­London and captured eight segments OIW will push the world forward or ­someone else should be doing. and private, academia­ and business.­ else that Oslo has to offer on a cold that will be rolling out on their platform by combining entrepreneurship, No sales ­presentations either. Across borders, disciplines and December­ weekend. over the next eight months. They also titles. A powercouple consists of ­technology and innovation. sent a print correspondent who wrote two great minds of different disciplines,­ ­complementing each other in The visit generated 9 digital press results articles about the conference, including a ­solving the world’s challenges. (articles and blogs) in addition to social feature on our speakers. All OIW events are powercouples. ­media activity during and after the visit. • The world’s largest online television show, The Young Turks, sent a crew of six and 4 5 6 filmed more than 20 unique segments and interviews, including a full ­hour-long show. New influencers are vital Gender equality and Technology is an enabler, Their OFF content has been viewed more to find new solutions diversity is a complete not the answer itself Urban Peace Week 2017 than 1.6 million times. They live-streamed­ the press conference, theater­ sessions, and Entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, ­ no-brainer micropreneurs,­ impact investors,­ This project was handled ­directly a range of interviews, giving us more than OIW has within its DNA a burning tech experts, bold explorers 400,000 viewers. desire to achieve this, and empower and new thought leaders will by project manager Anne Lene all people. have a voice at OIW. Hompland at Urban Peace Week. • The New York Times sent its U.N. bureau chief from New York. She met the Saudi VisitOSLO was involved at a late stage for activist Manal al-Sharif in Oslo, and made suggestions and booking of a guided tour her the Saturday profile on June 5. The 7 8 9 for some of the speakers, as requested by ­article had an Oslo dateline, was on page It’s a dugnad Truly international With a shared sense Anne Lene Hompland. A5 of the print edition, and called the forum a “turning point” in Manal’s career. We, the attendees, keynotes, partners­ It takes place in Oslo, only to of urgency and event organizers – create bring the world forward. All event As VisitOSLO was not directly involved in the Sustainable development goals Oslo Innovation Week together. ­organizers co-operate with event, we do not have any reports on record In sum, the 2017 Oslo Freedom Forum need business solutions. It is far too ­Networking and co-working are international­ partners. ­regarding media coverage. ­created more than 325 unique media stories. important to count on politicians or at the core of all events. NGOs to solve things alone. 42

Guided by fans Every August, the Øya Music Festival takes place in Oslo’s east end. During four days, 60 000 people flock to a large city park to A case for (and by) music fans – The Øya Festival enjoy a mix of big international names and up-and-coming artists.

For the 2017 festival, Oslo Brand Alliance, Innovation Norway and ad agency ­Anorak ­developed and launched the campaign «­Guided by Fans».

Through social media, we recruited fans of 10 of the booked artists and bands, and asked them to offer their best tips for the artists’ stay in Oslo. Knowing both the city and their favourite performers well, they should be ­perfectly equipped for this task. More than one thousand tips were entered – a bit too few to get overly excited, but enough to move on with the project.

The tips were used to produce 10 personalized Oslo guide books, one for each of the selected artists. There was no planned media strategy apart from the hope that the artists would use the guide books to experience Oslo and share what they did with their international fans.

And – it worked. Here is a short film about the campaign and its results: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsr4BUT4yhg

The artists and their management loved the idea, and by promoting the city, the ­festival gained new attention. And the other way around. This is truly what it’s all about: Use ­innovating marketing ideas to attract interest for the city.

Is it on brand? Yes. The Brand Filter was used as a ­guidance tool. The campaign was aimed at and ­developed by young people. It was performed in English. And it was considered inventive enough to win the Gullkorn communications award for innovation. 44 46

Table tales from the Oslo region

Meet some of the region’s finest culinary artists.

The Oslo region’s booming food scene is born from a rare closeness between urban life and nature.­

The energy and diversity of the region’s cities inspire excellence and innovation in cooking. With farmlands, forests and the fjord nearby, even the most urban of restaurants have access to fresh ingredients that have traveled a few hours – at most. The result is modern food with a quality and distinctive touch that attracts foodies from all over the world.

Who better to present this unique food scene than the people who have created it? Join us on a journey where some of the Oslo region’s foremost culinary artists talk about their passion for food and for the places where they live and work. 524 000 views in total 48 International press clips

Editorial coverage is the most valuable marketing we can get. Here are some examples from 2017.

52 Brand Meetings Regional Business Development All 3 organizations in the Oslo Brand Alliance attends ­meetings and workshops in the region, both public and ­private, to inspire and build knowledge about the Oslo brand. A turn to entrepreneurship, ­powercouples and sustainABILITY.

Setting a new standard internationally The place branding, we held a numbers of lectures As the technology revolution hits traditional­ formula for future business development.­ Oslo model – with the brand filter – is ­getting about the strategy, the toolbox, and the model. Norwegian industries and corporations, Startups get access­ to experienced and attention internationally amongst place they turn to the startup hubs to keep up. professional resources­ and customers,­ and branding specialists. Oslo Brand Alliance has In 2017 we experienced an increase in requests This constitutes­ one of the most promising corporates get access to new ideas and participated in several panels discussing for sharing knowlegde about our method. ­developments in the City of Oslo over the last ­disruptive technologies­ difficult to foster inside four years. A partnership between ­startup ­organizational boarders. Yet, it is still a big job hubs and corporates, as the ­StartupLab to be done to mature this field and of high ­corporate program, has shown to be a winning ­priority for the future of Oslo Business Region. 54 Oslo: State of the City

Cities all over the world are competing for talent, visitors, investors and attention. How is Oslo doing, in this highly ­competitive and global game?

Business-friendliness 10 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

This report is the 3rd edition of the ‘­outside-in’ location for entrepreneurship and innovation, State of the City review of Oslo in ­international but we have to accelerate the storytelling. Welcoming indexes. It evaluates Oslo’s performance across Oslo is 4th of 50 global cities for climate Personal safety to foreigners every international index, benchmark, ranking change leadership, and Oslo’s social and and comparative ­measure in which the City ­environmental model is a big advantage. of Oslo appears. From a database of more Hospitality is the area that has improved Sustainability than 270 indexes and 10,000 data points, the most since this 2015, but there is room to Friendliness and resilience report assesses Oslo’s current performance keep ­improving. Oslo is now ­performing more and international­ reputation in 16 thematic strongly in indexes that reflect ­perceptions Attractiveness Work-life balance areas within four overarching themes: Business, of urban lifestyle, aesthetics and the ­natural to talent ­Liveability, Hospitality, and Governance. ­environment. Familiarity with some of its Attractiveness vibrant neighborhoods are driving this to visitors The Business of Cities Group in London, ­increased ­visibility which means Oslo is ­headed by Professor Greg Clark, is responsible included in more rankings of ‘cool’, ‘­exciting’, for the analysis. and ‘high quality’ cities. The perception gap regarding Oslo’s cultural offerings is vital to fill 2017 results in short for the next coming years. The City of Oslo is improving its position and visibility despite the depth of ­competition. You can read the full report here We are becoming an internationally ­important www.oslobusinessregion.no/oslo-state-city-2017/ 56 Oslo: State of the City

Oslo: Maximising the Peace 40 300 London Stockholm Dividend 200 35 Berlin 100 Paris Dublin 30 0 0 10000 A review of global good practices in Peace Cities. Amsterdam

25 Helsinki Copenhagen

20 Munic h

Zurich Barcelona 15 OSLO Istanbul 10 Vienna Madrid Brussels In the 1990s and 2000s, the City of Oslo was York, Amsterdam, Miami, Mexico City, Bradford, Frankfurt Milan nearly alone as the city associated with peace Belfast, Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Havana, Cape Town, 5 Bristol Gothenburg and reconciliation. Oslo’s hosting of the Nobel Singapore, Atlanta and Kyoto. Lyon LisboHamburn g Manchester Stuttgart Peace Prize and then its role as a mediator in Cologn e Prague Rotterdam Valencia the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process estab- The stark reality is that Oslo’s unique position- 0 Glasgow 0 5001 000 1500 2000 lished the city in global minds as a beacon ing is no longer unique. Although it retains a Marseille Rome Warsaw of diplomacy, stability and fairness. But the highly distinctive peace identity, other cities -5 City of Oslo no longer has a near monopoly of and active practitioners in this space frequently city brand association with peace. In the last observe other cities to be more innovative in decade other cities around the world have also this area. The risk is that Oslo loses this area sought to establish their credentials for peace, of unique differentiation and the associated justice and human rights. opportunities it40 brings. 300 London Today, at least 10 cities have developed brand New ways to bring more people into contact Stockholm identities of different kinds oriented around with Oslo’s peace dimension may be neces- 200 35 peace, and this year’s analysis took a deeper sary. The risk of competition to host the Nobel Berlin look into the emergence of these peace cities. Peace Prize may be low, but the risk of a new 100 Paris It is based on a review of global practices of set of awards or prizes gaining higher global Dublin other established or aspiring Peace Cities, profile is real, 30especially given the new kinds 0 0 10000 including Auckland, Bogota, Geneva, The Hague, of conflicts and agendas that will arise as a Amsterdam Louisville (USA), Nairobi and Vienna. result of climate change and geopolitical shifts. Oslo should develop25 a plan for how to respond Helsinki Many other cities not studied for this paper are to the likely disruptions, and the potential Copenhagen also trying to develop a ‘city of peace’ desig- emergence of a new set of cities who become nation. In addition to the seven cities high- associated as vanguards of peace, justice and 20 Munic h lighted in the report these also include: New sustainable co-existence. Zurich Barcelona 15 OSLO Istanbul 10 Vienna Madrid Brussels Frankfurt Milan 5 Bristol Gothenburg Lyon LisboHamburn g Manchester Stuttgart Cologn e Prague Rotterdam Valencia 0 Glasgow 0 5001 000 1500 2000 Marseille Rome Warsaw

-5 58 Oslo: State of the City Menon publication no. 28/2017 Innovation performance and The leading maritime capitals global perception of the world 2017

The City of Oslo has a fast-maturing eco-system for In April, the third edition of «The Leading Maritime Capitals» ­innovation, home not just to anchor firms and investors report was launched at Sea Asia in Singapore. Singapore but to hundreds of startups, more than 50 incubators and is again rated as the leading maritime capital of the world, ­accelerators, as well as nearly 30 recognised co-working ­followed by Hamburg and the City of Oslo. ­spaces.

The purpose of this biennial report is to “The world isn’t standing­ ­identify the most attractive maritime city The City of Oslo is gaining recognition as an underpinned by its strengths in banking/­ regions in the world. The Menon Report is still, and shipping internationally significant innovation location. fintech, medtech, design and ­creative a widely-­accepted study of the world’s 30 can’t afford to. There’s It featured as one of the 25 top start up hubs ­industries. In international indexes, it is leading maritime capitals around the world, in the world, primarily thanks to its high digital ­apparent that demand for innovation in Oslo by looking at 24 objective indicators and no doubt that ­digital technology adoption rates, expanding sense is also partly fuelled by its increasing ­visibility ­garnering survey responses from more than ­technology will be at of entrepreneurialism, ease of doing business as a smart city. Oslo was found to be in the 250 industry experts across all continents. the heart of the next and its approach to work-life balance. global top 5 of Smart Cities – just behind Barcelona and San Francisco among its peers. OBA partnered with Menon this year, to find ­generation of shipping When compared to population size, the Oslo Among 40 ­metrics related to technology, out more about the position and outlook for solutions. Here the ­Nordic region emerges as one of the top 10 most ­transport, ­energy, open data and economy, the the City of Oslo within maritime tech and ­innovation-intense regions in Europe, ahead City of Oslo’s strengths in smart infrastructure innovation.­ countries have taken a of highly regarded innovation economies such and energy helped push it towards the top. clear lead” as Barcelona, Paris, Munich and Lisbon. Singapore is ranked as the world’s ­leading High quality tech infrastructure and access ­maritime technology center by the ­experts ­Birgit Liodden, Director Nor-Shipping The drivers of Oslo’s innovation to data are important factors that incentivise asked, followed by Oslo. Oslo is also eco-system growth startups to base themselves in the City of ­regarded as the second most innovative and The City of Oslo’s innovation system is clearly Oslo. ­entrepreneurial maritime city. 60 Social media and web in numbers Digital Footprint visitoslo.com

Being a digital pioneer when creating Oslo buzz, we also VIEWS – VISITOSLO.COM IN 2017 BUZZFEED USA ­monitor our digital footprint. Our goal is to increase this 3.000.000 ­footprint by 20% each year. 2.500.000

2.000.000

1.500.000 1.000.000 140 500.000 million views generated 155 000 link clicks 0 45 661 1 383 205 13 790 Norway Germany UK USA Spain Actions by own followers Exposure of own content Oslo content (likes, comments, clicks, etc. (real reach for FB and Instagram produced by others on our social media content) and impressions for Twitter) (in social media)

DIGITAL ADVERTISING VIDEO

By digital footprint, we mean everything that is being said (and seen) about Oslo that’s related to business, innovation and startups, students and research in all digital channels we monitor. 153 6.2 million views generated million views The Oslo Reach Total 164 000 clicks The digital reach (social media + press) of all media articles projects measured by OBR. about the Oslo startup ecosystem

931 SOCIAL MEDIA WEB ARTICLES stories in 2017 608 950 797 7.8 12.2 international reach million views, of pictures million views generated and videos, generated 3 million reactions 74 000 reactions (likes, comments) 95 (likes, comments) million in 2017 27 193 635 national reach 62 Press and influencers

VisitOSLO’s media team assisted and collaborated with 608 media representatives including journalists, bloggers and ­influencers.

1. USA 2. UK 644 581 3. SPAIN press results were received individual media were involved, (print, online articles, blog posts, videos) ­including traditional and online the 3 most ­newspapers, blogs, TV and ­ represented countries NB: Instagram stories, Facebook posts and other radio ­channels, Instagrammers social media posts are not included here and photographers­

Some of the most important media that visited Oslo in 2017 and ­ received ­a­ssistance or ­collaborated directly with VisitOSLO include:

USA UK Spain Germany Vice The Independent El Mundo Die Zeit Condé Nast Traveler Lonely Planet El País Edison The US connection USA Today Condé Nast Traveller La Vanguardia Femtastics Green Building Culture Trip Elle Herz & Blut Design Magazine • We had meetings with the city of Austin as well as key Teen Vogue Finland France ­players in the US at South by Southwest 2017. Helsingin Sanomat Le Figaro • Casey Smith from the city of Austin attended Oslo ­Innovation Week and had meetings with relevant actors Italy by invitation from Oslo Business Region. Vogue Italia Sweden Russia • Oslo Business Region and the city of Oslo participated Io Donna TV4 Kinopoisk in a webinar during Global Entrepreneurship Week that broadcasted to startups from Austin. You will find a comprehensive list of the most important press results on the Oslo in the Media page on www.visitoslo.com 64 Accounting / Regnskap Oslo Brand Alliance 2017

INNTEKTER BUDSJETT REGNSKAP

Bidrag fra Osloregionen 6 613 424 6 613 424

Bidrag fra Oslo kommune 2 000 000 2 000 000

Sopra Steria – Vibbio 15 000

Totalt inntekter 8 613 424 8 628 424

UTGIFTER

Kunnskapsbank, mål og måleverktøy 1 000 000 1 819 533

Verktøykasse – Oslo Brand Box 1 900 000 1 440 017

Arena for involvering og deling 300 000 151 551

Strategiske markedsføringsprosjekter 5 413 424 5 815 964

Totalt utgifter 8 613 424 9 227 065

Resultat - 598 641

1. Underskudd dekkes av Oslo Business Region Editor Oslo Brand Alliance

Layout Elisabeth Høisveen

Photo credits P. 02 OSL/Nordic Office of Architecture P. 04 Oslo Brand Alliance, Ronny Bugtene P. 05 VisitOslo, Thomas Johannessen P. 06 VisitOslo, Tord Baklund P. 09 Oslo Region Alliance, Ystad Svorte P. 10 Oslo Region Alliance, Ystad Svorte P. 12 VisitOslo, Thomas Johannessen P. 15 VisitOslo, Thomas Johannessen P. 16 VisitOslo, Thomas Johannessen P. 18 VisitOslo, Frode Sandbech P. 24 AHO, Geir Dokken P. 36 gb&d magazine, Kristin von Hirsch P. 37 gb&d magazine, Kristin von Hirsch P. 50 OBR, Gorm K. Gaare EUP-Berlin P. 52 OBR, Thomas Èkström P. 62 Oslo Region Alliance P. 62 Kuben, Anette Larsen P. 64 VisitOslo, Thomas Johannessen