Jeremy HildrethCategory Archives: Branding: places
The chosen brand
As a nation brand, “Israel” is undeniably strong in some areas — technology, security, agriculture — yet marketing products as Israeli, and daring to pitch their Israeli-ness as a virtue, can be problematic. Many Israeli companies, when competing internationally, are even a little shy about their place of origin. Which is why I was pleased [...]
Tourist Friendliness 101
One hundred and fifty euros for a Russian visa. Nearly six hours waiting to cross the border at Sovetsk/Tilsit. And 134km from there to the city of Kaliningrad/Königsberg. Königsberg Cathedral is the jewel of what precious little is left here of German architecture — the site the official tourist brochure says to visit first and [...]
True is not the same as credible (or edible)
I’ve been noticing some ads on CNN this week, the thrust of which is “visit Poland for the amazing food here.” These ads strike me as odd — and of limited effectiveness — because even if true, they’re not credible. I have worked with Poland, I have been to Poland, and I live in London [...]
Where the place branding unicorns live
Something fell onto my desk today that reminded me again of one of the clichés of place branding that just never goes away: the self-described LAND OF CONTRASTS. I guess it sounds like it would be an appealing marketing claim. But it’s not. Period. In fact, I’ll buy dinner for anybody who convinces me that [...]
Anholt: nation branding’s “the most interesting subject in the known universe”
Jeremy on the dais with Simon Anholt in Santiago talking about Chile’s image.
Grits, Green and Graceland
Elvis Presley: corporate identity guru.
Bilbao, Mississippi
Driving from New Orleans to Mobile, I passed this work in progress on the Biloxi waterfront. Directly across from the broad white sand beach and down the main drag from a coming-soon Margaritaville hotel and casino, the construction site really stood out. No surprise why: it’s an art museum designed by Frank Gehry which was [...]
Sights, sounds and flavours
I haven’t read BRAND sense by Martin Lindstrom but the title and theme fell right into the context of place branding for me here in New Orleans as I wandered the French Quarter listening to jazz, eating crawfish pie and gumbo, and drinking Sazerac cocktails (I’m too old for the famous and fru-fru Hurricanes). Can [...]
Sao Paulo surprise
Feeling to me like a dangerous, antagonistic, dysutopian Latin edition of Tokyo, this city has failed to much endear itself to yours truly. But while out for jog, this sprang up, and I nabbed it with my cell phone.
The loveable quirkiness of northeastern Europe
Yesterday was the national day of the Republic of Uzupis, the SoHo (NYC, as opposed to Soho, London) of Vilnius, Lithuania. I didn’t make it to Christiania – I’ve still never been to Copenhagen! – before they dismantled it, but I imagine this as a gentrified and more philosophically grounded version of the Danish self-declared [...]
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