A review of a brand management strategy for a small town — Lessons learnt!

Increasing competitiveness between geographic locations, the greater mobility of industries and residents and the positive and negative impacts of improved communications are prompting many government and business leaders to apply marketing principles to their respective locations in an attempt to remain competitive or as a turnaround strategy in response to economic and/or social decline. This paper is a review of a brand management strategy for a semi-rural community in New South Wales, Australia, that was implemented by the authors. The purpose of the paper is to share the process and outcomes with both academics and practitioners, with the aim of contributing to the relatively new field of place branding. The results highlight the need for a place brand strategy to be well resourced, particularly in terms of leadership and funding, as well as the need for acceptance and commitment on the part of key stakeholders.