Place branding is widely recognized as a useful tool for increasing the attractiveness of a destination or location. On one end of the spectrum cities and regions, even countries, are looking to boost their appeal as places to visit, to do business with or to invest in. On the other end, districts and blocks, down to individual buildings, want to set their own ambience and draw the right kinds of crowds.
Borough Market, a stone’s throw from the Shard in London, is a typical example of the latter. Once a farmer’s market in downtown London, it came up against harsh competition with the rise of the supermarket in the late 1900s. Its custodians sought a remedy, which meant identifying a niche and taking an active position. The idea? To become a destination for high quality foods. Where supermarkets embraced the idea of almost everything for nearly everyone, Borough Market sought to build a community around the idea of passion for high quality food. The community, in this case, was a wide range of people: shoppers and traders - of course - but also the community around the market, both physically and in terms of shared outlook.
To speak to that community, Borough Market went back to its roots - and it’s been around for a millennium in some form. Although supermarkets offer more convenience, many visitors want to see, hear and smell (even touch) what they are buying, and experience their eating and drinking - while being informed and entertained. That requires more effort than just providing a roof and basic amenities.
‘A House’, which is a co-working provider with a handful of destinations across Stockholm, Sweden, has a deliberate strategy of standing out to select groups - it targets creative professionals. Self-styled digital nomad Anna Tengwall, who has been both strategy advisor and voluntary brand ambassador for A House, says the idea was to create additional value for tenants - members in A House terminology.
“When you bring together people with similar interests from a wide range of disciplines, from research divisions of large corporations through to scale-ups and freelancers, you build a ‘creative ecosystem.’ When I can find people to collaborate with by just stepping down to the lobby, that holds a certain value.”
A House describes its product as “destinations for creative development” which captures both its target group - creatives of all stripes, and its purpose - to provide opportunities to develop, together.
Clustering creative know-how in certain districts or buildings creates more face-to-face interactions that spark innovation and new ideas - call them serendipitous encounters if you will. This interplay occurs between companies, companies and people, as well as peer to peer. The idea is well founded in academic literature. A well-known champion is Richard Florida, who has written that bringing together creative individuals and industries in close-knit spaces generates economic advantages through knowledge spillovers and collaboration. It is key to be cross-disciplinary and span multiple sectors, while adhering to a certain niche.
Anna Tengwall mentions she has visited several other ‘talent magnets’ - places that attract (and retain) certain categories of professionals who in turn attract more of their kind. Cape Town and Bali are especially heavy on digital-nomads and have the facilities to match, with Berlin being the European capital of creative co-working.
And it doesn’t end with work. Richard Florida argues that creative professionals cluster for lifestyle offerings, culture and diverse social environments.
Anna Tengwall again:
“A great destination, regardless of whether it’s a city, an area or a building, has thought about how it creates value for those who interact with it. There is always an appealing story that keeps evolving, and an idea about ‘the full experience’ - and how that comes together as a brand. Being for and of the surroundings - people and nearby places - is key.”
Places and People
Still, there is a limit to what a place in itself can achieve. The people and the community are just as, if not more, important.
And that is a great starting point for place branding.
For whom are you doing it? Behind virtually every strong co-working brand, for example, dedicated research has been done to understand everything from footfall in the area to the vibe of the neighbourhood to commuting opportunities (present and future) to what kind of professionals and companies would want to set up shop there. Not to forget the history of a place, the feel of its streets and buildings, its (planned) future.
All of those are critical elements in creating a long-term place brand. From a big pool of input comes an overarching idea. When that idea is put into practice - with a clear-cut concept, a name for the destination, content, identity and more - the place stops being four walls, a roof, wifi and coffee, and becomes a value-spawning destination.
UP's Conclusions
What does all of this tell us about place branding? For one, you have to dare to say no (and yes). No - to the idea of attracting just about everyone. Yes - to the idea of specialisation. Mixing disciplines can create value - if the mix is deliberate and purposeful. Disciplines that have natural interaction and mutual goals can greatly benefit each other. A destination’s concept, its place brand, should reflect that.
Listening to tenants (which, in the spirit of community, perhaps you should regard as co-creating members) is another critical element. Observing people on group and individual levels is key: who they interact with, what they do when they don’t engage in the primary purpose of a ‘place’ (eg work), when they visit the place, and with what mindset and purpose?
And pay attention not only to the ‘paying members’ - the qualities of the surrounding ecosystem could be just as important to achieving the right attractiveness.
As any property owner will know - value added for the tenant is value added for the owner - who will have an easier route to attracting tenants. In the ideal case making leasing entirely a pull operation.
Our new creative home in London
UP THERE, EVERYWHERE has been empowering its people to work from anywhere since 2010 by harnessing the power of the cloud. We’ve always championed remote work because we understand the immense value it brings in terms of diversity and the unique perspectives it adds to every project. Our globally distributed teams model means that team members can be based anywhere in the world, either working remotely or from one of our UP Creative Hubs.
Our newest UP Creative Hub, located in Borough Market, London, has quickly become a favourite among both UP team members and clients alike.
(Some pictures below from a meeting at UP Borough Market Hub in February 2025)
