As part of an emerging literature on place branding, this book fills the important gap between practice-oriented literature—which lacks in-depth and critical analysis—and technical academic literature—which tends to miss down-to-earth practitioners' concerns and to overlook policy and political contexts. Providing frameworks and knowledge on how to practice place branding effectively, this book anchors place-branding practices in a solid analytical framework. It presents place-branding practices through the lenses of public sector marketing, strategic management, and governance processes and structures, as well as communication tools.

Marketing a place is more than creating a logo and a motto; this book presents the key strategic aspects to be considered when promoting a place. Readers will gain knowledge about the most important features of place promotion: the development of brands and marketing campaigns in the public sector, the establishment of dedicated politico-administrative structures, and the increasing involvement of various stakeholders that play a central role as place promoters.

This book will be a valuable resource for researchers and postgraduate students across place branding, marketing and management, and urban studies, as well as public management, administration, and policy. The practical conclusions discussed in the book will also appeal to practitioners, business consultants, and people working in public administration and politics.

Vincent Mabillard is Professor of Public Management and Communication at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management of the Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. He holds a PhD from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His research interests focus on government transparency and accountability, social media communication, and place branding and marketing.

Martial Pasquier is Professor of Public Management and Communication at the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration (IDHEAP) of the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. He is the author of the book Marketing Management and Communications in the Public Sector. His research interests relate to transparency, public sector communication, and place branding and marketing.

Renaud Vuignier works for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. He contributed to this book purely in his private capacity, when he was a research fellow at the University of Lausanne. Opinions expressed here shall therefore not be regarded as official positions but as personal points of view.