If you were to close your eyes and imagine your favourite city, what image would pop into your mind? Would it be the bustling streets and the smell of fresh hotdogs when you think of New York? Or would it be the cobbled pathways and century-old buildings of Rome? Would it be the diversity of Sydney or the charm of Barcelona? A city is inexplicably complex. There is no one way to define it, though marketers are finding new ways to position a city in order to leave impressions on multiple audiences. This is the new era of city branding – a way of communicating the wonderful features of a city to different people. This magazine ADDRESSES this new trend of city branding and WILL understand the mechanics of this trade. At the end of this, readers will be able to gain a newfound understanding of their love for their favourite city – whether it be New York, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Singapore.
Though it is still possible to structurally rebrand the city (Go & Govers, 2011).