From Japan to Poland, we showed how place brands turn identity into value for business and community.

Two cities, one week

Recently, we were invited to speak about place branding in two very different cities: Tokyo and Plovdiv. Two continents, two audiences, one shared question: how can places define themselves in a world where cities, regions and countries compete harder than ever for tourists, talent and investment?
The short answer: brand matters more than ever for them.

In Tokyo, CEO and Co-founder Jacob Benbunan joined the Nikkei Inbound Business Expo, where government and industry leaders gathered to discuss the future of Japan’s inbound travel economy.
Drawing on insights from <a href="https://citybrandbarometer.saffron-consultants.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">City Brand Barometer 2025</a>, Jacob explored how destinations can move beyond promotion and focus on the harder work of building a coherent experience.
Places have always defined themselves, but the level of competition has changed. Now they compete not only for tourism, but for workers, capital, education and influence. In that context, branding isn’t decoration, it’s strategy. It helps make sure people’s perceptions and their lived experience work together.

Jacob also shared lessons from our work with JR West to define a brand for the <a href="https://saffron-consultants.com/work/west-japan-railway-company" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Setouchi</a> region. The project shows how a clear place brand can unlock long-term value; yes, by attracting visitors, but also fomenting pride among the local community and economic development across an entire region.
The room was full of leaders asking how Japan can shape the next chapter of its visitor economy. The discussion made clear that Japan has an opportunity not only to attract more global travellers, but to strengthen the experience they have when they get there.

At the same time in Europe, Chief Creative Officer Gabor Schreier joined branding professionals and civic leaders at the first-ever Brand the City festival in Plovdiv, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities.
His message focused on a core belief behind our place branding work: the strongest city brands are built on values shared between citizens and institutions.
Gabor shared insights from our partnership with the <a href="https://saffron-consultants.com/work/city-of-vienna" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">City of Vienna</a>, where the identity we created has helped bring the city’s many departments and organisations together under one human-centred idea: Der Mensch in der Mitte—the human at the heart.

Now embedded in the city’s communications and services, the brand has strengthened Vienna’s global reputation while making the city administration clearer and more accessible to residents.
The conversations in Plovdiv reinforced something we see in every place we work with: when a brand reflects authentic values and an actual everyday experience, it becomes a civic asset. It aligns institutions, focuses investment and bolsters a place’s voice on the global stage.

All signs point to the same conclusion: place branding defines what makes a destination distinctive, strengthens how people experience it, then communicates that reality to the world. That requires proof. Which is why we built City Brand Barometer, to understand what makes cities truly compelling to visit. It requires strategy to turn regional assets into a coherent destination, as our work with Setouchi shows. And it requires design systems that help institutions work together, as we created with the City of Vienna.
For us, these conversations reflect decades of helping places define who they are and what they stand for. Because when a place understands itself, the world understands it too.

When a place understands itself, the world does too

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