Associate professorship lecture - Olga Rauhut Kompaniets

"What is the city but the people?"- Stakeholder engagement and the importance of place branding

Why do some cities feel magnetic and full of pride, while others, despite investments and campaigns, struggle to stand out? The answer rarely lies in logos or slogans. It lies in the people who call a place home.

In this lecture, Olga explores place branding as a strategic, people-driven process rooted in marketing and branding theory and urban development practice. She examines how cities build competitive identities, how place branding connects to broader questions of sustainable growth and stakeholder engagement, and why residents, and not advertising agencies, are ultimately a city's most credible brand ambassadors.

The lecture draws on international research and real-world cases from Swedish cities, and speaks to anyone interested in how organisations, communities, and markets intersect.

No prior knowledge of place branding required.