Understanding City Branding Policies : Case Study city of Helsinki.

Urban transformation and City Imagineering He Huang Shantanu

● Context

Inde x

● Key Elements ● Projects ● Target groups & Stakeholders ● Wider impact of City’s Urban Development ● The legacy & Impacts ● Conclusions

Conte xt ●

Finland’s only metropolis and world’s northernmost metro area

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Third largest municipality in the Nordic countries

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Hosted the Summer Olympics in 1952

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Economic crisis in the early 1990s

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The City of Culture 2000

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World Design Capital for 2012

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Intriguing mix of history and high-tech

Key Elements Promoting a identity of the city is a complex process. The strategies generally applied are focused on

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Material aspects of the place

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Built environment

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Infrastructure

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Immaterial aspects of the place

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Slogan, its identity, etc.

Occasionally,a single category is used as an urban branding strategy, but more frequently the categories are used as interrelated processes where the three dimensions are integrated. (Jansson & Power, 2006) Helsinki as a city lies in a multiple shouse of these categories when it come to implementation of these strategies.

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Key Elements City marketing objectives

1. Build our future vision and strengthen local pride

Helsinki as a city wanted to build reputation as ●

City of people

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Encourage actions and impact within the society

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City of transformation

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City with world class infrastructure

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Use of unique cultural diversity and characteristics.

2. Increase awareness and appeal

3. Make Helsinki services and experiences more accessible and attractive 4. Actions to support the Helsinki brand’s impact locally and Image source: https://www.google.com/search?q=Vision+Icon&sxsrf= internationally https://www.google.com/search?q=Community+Icon

(Helsinki City Marketing Strategies Ahanen, 2020)

Build our future vision and strengthen local pride

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Content development with Helsinkians

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Business and start-ups promotion

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Promote Helsinki as “ City of People ”

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Encourage locals to contribute and make

Increase awareness and appeal ●

Increase awareness globally

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Facilitate healthy business environment

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and internationally ●

the impact

Image surveys with citizens and local businesses

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Functionality and usability assessment of marketing tools

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Media monitoring in editorial and social media

Create emotional relationships with the city

Performance indicators: ●

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Host mega events to attract investments

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Performance indicators:

Promote tourism within the nationally

Make it world most advanced city

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Image surveys with select international target groups, including business People ●

Media monitoring in editorial and social (Helsinki City Marketing Strategy Ahanen, 2020) media Image source: https://www.google.com/search?q=Vision+Icon&sxsrf= https://www.google.com/search?q=Community+Icon

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Make Helsinki services and experiences more accessible and attractive

Actions to support the Helsinki brand’s impact locally and internationally

Produce more data in global language

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Use people to find people to contribute ( Use of People as

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City as a facilitator of the world’s most advanced everyday life.

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Increase local and global well-being and make Helsinki a more attractive city.

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City organisation to be perceived and recognised as a more agile and responsive cooperation partner in the future.

Infrastructure) ●

Digitization for seamless experience for tourists and users

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Pay attention to physical experience

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Branding of multiple opportunity

Performance within theindicators: city. ●

User and user experience metrics in select digital channels and physical locations of encounters

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Feedback from within the City organisation and cooperation partners about the functionality and usability of marketing tools

Performance indicators: ●

City organisation and stakeholder participation in brand work with the commitment to actions that support the brand and related results (Helsinki City Marketing Strategy Ahanen, 2020) Image source: https://www.google.com/search?q=Vision+Icon&sxsrf= https://www.google.com/search?q=Community+Icon

Target groups & Stakeholders City understands that there are different stakeholders with specific key messages that are important to them.

Citizens

Local & International NGO’s Local & International businesses

Local ,State & National Authorities

It is essential to make city marketing content more consistent across the board.

Some want to create, others want to experience new things, and some want to focus on their own specific areas of Interest (Helsinki City Marketing Strategy Ahanen,

Architect s Designer s Artist

Tourists

2020)

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Local & International media

Religious & Community leaders

Universiti es Education al Institution s

Image Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https

Architecture in Helsinki’s branding

Talking about architecture ... First of all neoclassical style, Senate Square and the cathedral representing that style very well.

Secondly Art Nouveau, as we call here in Finland ‘You Can Style’. (Helsinki destination branding for tourists, 2010).

Helsinki is a hot spot of architecture, they are located throughout the city. ● ● ●

Finlandia Hall and Academic Bookstore by Aalto Stockmann Department Store by Frosterus the main railway station by Saarin

Alvar Aalto designed 19 buildings which are representing Helsinki more than architecture.

Source:https://www.littlediscoveries.net/reisen/finland/architektur-in-helsinkiSource:https://www.pinterest.jp/pin/370069294377046991/ meine-entdeckungen/

The relationship with urban development of the city & impact Modern architectural building constitute an important part of Finland’s self understanding and image abroad, but can also be crucial in the branding of the city.

What’ more,as a carrier of culture, architecture is inclusive in City culture service, which can promote the wellbeing, citizenship and vitality of society.

Source: https://happyfrogtravels.com/helsinki-modern-and-contemporary-architecture-guid e/

Design Driven City with strong design heritage.

Helsinki has a clear vision: in an open and inclusive city, design is a key driver for the society and an important source of well-being and competitiveness. .

World Design Capital 2012 (WDC) wtih theme of the year “Open Helsinki – Embedding design in life�. source: https://www.hel.fi/hel2/tietokeskus/julkais ut/pdf/14_12_03_Arts_and_Culture_in_Helsink i.pdf

Design District in Helsinki ’s branding The Design District Helsinki plays a large role in boosting Helsinki’s reputation as a city of design.

It's a cluster of creative businesses and also a neighbourhood association with nearly 200 members In the heart of District is the Design Museum, the Museum of Finnish Architecture and Design Forum Finland.

It is creativity, uniqueness, experiences, design and Finnish urban culture.

Source: https://www.hel.fi/hel2/tietokeskus/julkaisut/pdf/14_12_03_Arts_and_Culture_in_Helsinki. pdf

The relationship with urban development of the city & impact The Design District has received a measure of success not only in terms of its membership, but also in promoting the four south Helsinki neighborhoods in which it is located as a choice location for a variety of design business

The District provide exposure to design, and make it easier for the media to publicize design, creating markets for design and service around design.It also improve the images of Helsinki.

Further enforced the development of design as strategic tool for transformation of the city.

Over 550 projects and 2,800 events in the year World Design Capital 2012..

The legacy & Impacts The place promotion has the following characteristics: First, place promotion is supplydriven. In its purest form, it is nothing more and nothing less than a traditional sender-to-receiver approach to marketing communication. The task is, therefore, to increase the attention (the offerings of) the place receives amongst selected target audiences. (Boisen et al., 2018) Helsinki regional image creation can be considered as a successful ,with the involvement of local actors .

On wider level there has been a lack of coherent planning of the image creation.

Helsinki Metropolitan Area consists of Helsinki,Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen with common Public transport and shared services Branding strategies will go in hand in hand To achieve a holistic development.

Hard time in collaboration as since no common agendas There is no common slogan and themes Helsinki attracts many economic developers and people with seminal idea of growth.

But lack of regional coordination means that instead of a variety of images and stories are produced that are often at odds with each other.

(Jansson & Power,

Image Spource: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2

2017)

Conclusions The goal of place promotion has been accomplished when the place has gained the attention of the chosen target audiences. The results of such efforts therefore primarily but not exclusively – belong to the cognitive domain of knowledge and should, therefore, primarily be measured and evaluated within that domain.(Boisen et al., 2018) Place marketing is predominantly concerned with finetuning the place to manage supply and demand, both through promotional measures and other measures aimed at improving the product-market combinations.

Therefore, place marketing benefits from an integrated approach, and should not be detached from the actual development of the place.

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Helsinki as a city has strongly emerged as a balance between local and international stakeholders.

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Strong local artists,design,art and architecture promotion policies.

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Hosting of mega event such as Helsinki Design district,EUNIS-2020 has helped city to reform and brought it on global map.

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Strong emphasis on user accessibility and digitization of data for multipurpose use has helped in creating a strong mark on city imaginary as a “Smart City of Future”

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However one should understand that Urban Branding is a very small part in community building

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Integrate Effective d engageme Approach nt

Plannin g

Marketing Sttergies

More holistic integrated planning strategies could be helpful for developing the metropolitan area with the join efforts Image Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2 for combine development of the

Referenc es

Ahanen, E. (2020). The City of Helsinki marketing strategy 2016-2020. http://www.brandnewhelsinki.fi/2020//app/uploads/2016/07/02_Helsinki__strategia_ENG_web.pdf Boisen, M., Terlouw, K., Groote, P., & Couwenberg, O. (2018). Reframing place promotion, place marketing, and place branding - moving beyond conceptual confusion. Cities, 80, 4–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2017.08.021 Jansson, J., & Power, D. (2017). The Image of The City – Urban Branding as Constructed Capabilities in Nordic City Regions. Department of Social and Economic Geography, Uppsala University, October, 41. https://www.academia.edu/20897714/The_Image_of_The_City_Urban_Branding_as_Constructed_Capabilities_in_N ordic_City_Regions?auto=download Otgaar, A., & Carvalho, L. (2016). World design capital (Helsinki). Delivering Sustainable Competitiveness: Revisiting the Organising Capacity of Cities, 200–218. Http Timmo, Heikkinen. (2009), In from margins: The city of culture 2000 and the image transformation of Helsinki, 200-218. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10286630009358121 Dinnie, Keith. (2010) City branding: Theory and Cases, Palgrave Macmillan UK, 33-34.

Ilpo Koskinen. (2009) Design Districts, The MIT Press. 3-7.

Referenc es Video 2019 European Capital of Smart Tourism: Helsinki: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpYijinZlPo Welcome to EUNIS 2020 in Helsinki, Finland : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAzjPgdLJEo How To Create A Smart Tourism Destination: Helsinki : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph4ob6I75A8&t=291s Helsinki, Finland: Vibrant Baltic City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq5XfKwKudQ Helsinki – My Sustainable City : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5AM8Dlqc0M Helsinki destination branding for tourists : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nGm8_3S4dQ Helsinki Vacation Travel Guide | Expedia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPs_lCNRNDU&t=154s