Interview: City marketing creates the brand
Ms. Limberger: Today, every large and medium-sized city seems to have its own marketing campaign. But do bouncy castles and local events really benefit the retail trade and justify this direct or indirect co-financing? I wouldn’t count bouncy castles as part of city marketing. Events are basically only one of the many themes for city marketing, and here more or less a side issue, while special local festivities have a rather limited function. Modern city marketing creates a brand and uses a much broader range of instruments for its core objective: to present and create a greater awareness for the particular characteristics and strengths of a city. The quality of a location is also defined by
Nearly 150 years. Much of the space used for retail over the past decades was historically a location for production, traditional crafts or logistics. New uses must now be found for part of this space, for example through creative-artistic functions, services, leisure activities and entertainment, and much more. This interaction makes a city and its centre attractive and, in this way, to a more frequented, successful retail location.
retail trade when customers come via bicycle and not with an auto. The interac- tion in an attractive city is clearly much more than sealed space for mobility. I also see my job as a city marketer in providing support for optimisation. We know the respective city, its location pro- blems and opportunities, the real estate investors, current tenants, local parties interested in space, and the political and municipal decision makers. We connect these players and can develop solutions by consensus and by including all sides. An important aspect in this process is continuous cooperation with the real estate branch, especially brokers. Our job is to optimise and make the locations attractive, the broker must identify the company that can benefit the most from these efforts.
But in the end, aren’t hard facts like transport connections, parking or space efficiency more important?
Of course, a city must be accessible.
the emotions that consu- mers associate with a city, and strategically planned city marketing can make significant changes. And having said this, vacancies in many cities, also in top locations, are still fairly high…
Modern city marketing creates a brand and uses a much broader range of instruments for its core objective: to present and create a greater awareness for the particular characteristics and strengths of a city.
Dieser This strong focus on the retail trade is, based on the age of our cities, a recent development.
Whereby current studies impressively show the above-average benefits for the
Daniela Limberger
Vice-President of the Umbrella Association for City Marke- ting in Austria and Managing Director of the Location and Business Agency in Leonding
Austria | 2025/26
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