Over the years, we’ve been lucky to partner with a wide range of places and destinations, helping them tell their stories and strengthen their communities.
We’ve always been place people—25 years ago we started Blue Ion in Charleston to live and work in a beautiful coastal city and that’s where we kicked off our long running partnership with Explore Charleston. No matter how different all the places we’ve worked with since have been—urban or rural, regional or local, historic or brand new—our approach has stayed rooted in the same guiding ideas about what makes a great place brand. We wanted to share some of those ideas and examples here, in case they’re useful to your work. If you’d like to talk more, we’d love to connect.
Powerful stories that anchor.
Place branding today can feel crowded and noisy. Everywhere you look, towns, regions, and destinations are marketing themselves like consumer brands—each fighting for attention, clicks, and a slice of the spotlight. At the same time, locals and visitors alike are looking for more than another list of amenities—they want real experiences shaped by local culture. They want to feel something genuine, to understand what a place stands for, and to imagine how they might belong there.
Exceptional places weave and present powerful stories—unique narratives that anchor identity in the landscape, culture, and shared community experience. That story is more than history or folklore; it’s an ever-evolving expression of how people live, work, gather, celebrate, and care for each other.
The narrative becomes the most powerful tool for sustainable economic development and resident vitality, because it clarifies why the place matters and to whom. And for rural and more outdoor-focused communities, this story provides the foundation from which to leverage their outdoor culture—from more traditional activities like hiking, hunting, and angling to newer pursuits like mountain biking, climbing, and agritourism. When those activities are framed as expressions of local values—resilience, stewardship, creativity, independence—they become more than recreation options; they become signals of identity. They demonstrate how people relate to the land and to each other.
Ultimately, place-based branding is about moving beyond lists of assets to reveal and craft narratives that inspire belonging, drive sustainable use and tourism, and unify diverse community voices into a compelling story. A strong place brand doesn’t speak only to visitors; it resonates first with residents and local stakeholders, then ripples outward. When done well, it becomes a shared language for the community and an invitation for others to engage.
The impact of a strong place-based brand.
The right story, clearly told and consistently expressed, will transform how a place is perceived both internally and externally. It turns abstract values and scattered initiatives into a coherent, motivating picture of what the community is and where it is heading.
A strong place-based brand can drive visitation by offering a clear, emotionally grounded reason to come. Instead of marketing “things to do,” it articulates a distinctive experience: the feeling of a vibrant downtown, the character of local neighborhoods, the thrill of outdoor adventure, or the quiet satisfaction of rural life. When visitors understand the story beneath the surface, they are more likely to stay longer, explore deeper, and return more often.
Place-based branding can also boost workforce development. In an era where talent is mobile and people can work from almost anywhere, a community’s ability to tell a compelling story about quality of life, shared values, and opportunity is a competitive advantage. A clear place identity helps employers recruit, helps families decide where to put down roots, and helps young people see a future in their hometown.
For economic sector and asset development, a strong brand acts as a strategic filter. It clarifies which industries, partners, and investments are the best fit for the community’s narrative and long-term vision. Rather than chasing every opportunity, leaders can prioritize those that align with the place’s identity—such as outdoor gear manufacturers in an adventure-oriented region, or artisan and craft ventures in a creative hub.
Place-based branding also creates meaning, emotional bonds, and deeper connections among stakeholders. When residents see their own experiences and aspirations reflected in the brand narrative, they feel seen and valued. That sense of recognition can strengthen local networks, encourage collaboration, and make it easier to rally support around shared initiatives. Over time, shared understanding becomes a form of social infrastructure—a foundation for civic engagement and community resilience.
Finally, a clear and authentic place brand can increase market and local product value. When the story of a place is strong, it enhances everything associated with it: local products, creative ventures, events, and even real estate. A well-recognized regional identity can help local businesses command premium pricing, improve perceived quality, and open doors to broader markets.
An inside-out approach to place stories.
The story of a place should match the experience and emotions on the ground. If the promise in your marketing doesn’t align with what people actually feel when they arrive—or when they live there every day—the disconnect erodes trust. That’s why an inside-out approach is essential.
The first and most critical step is getting acquainted with a place by learning from its people—their values, traditions, and shared identity. That means listening to a broad mix of voices: long-time residents, new arrivals, business owners, civic leaders, culture bearers, youth, and underrepresented groups. It’s about hearing what they treasure most about the landscape they live among and its unique features: a certain bend in the river, a seasonal gathering, a local trail system, or the way neighbors show up for each other in hard times.
Start with locals first and work from the inside out. When community members are invited into the process early and often, they move from being “audiences” to being co-authors. That co-authorship creates a stronger sense of ownership, which is crucial for both authenticity and long-term adoption. A brand that is done “to” a community rarely takes; a brand that is built “with” them has a much better chance of enduring.
This work is about place and people. The physical environment—the “hardware” of landscapes, downtowns, parks, and infrastructure—matters deeply, but it only comes to life through the “software” of culture and community. The shared identity, values, traditions, and social connections of the people of a place are what give meaning to its assets. A trail is more than a path; it’s a lifeline for health, connection, and daily rhythm.
To be effective, the brand must be genuine and real—anchored in and co-created by the local community. That means avoiding the temptation to over-polish or over-promise. Instead, it emphasizes clarity, honesty, and distinctiveness: this is who we are, and this is what we’re aspiring to become. Embracing nuance and imperfection often makes a place feel more human and more compelling.
From there, the work becomes about building strong story systems. Rather than just relying on a single tagline or hero video, we develop the narratives and content that connect people emotionally to a place by sharing meaningful experiences, beliefs, and aspirations. Think of it as a layered ecosystem of stories: everyday vignettes, signature experiences, deep-dive features, and practical information that together paint a living picture.
Key steps on the journey.
While each community is unique, our place-based branding work tends to follow a set of core steps. These stages can be tailored to scale for small towns, multi-county regions or states, or destination-focused corridors, but the underlying process is similar.
Research and Stakeholder Engagement
The process begins with research and deep stakeholder engagement. This includes qualitative work like interviews, listening sessions, and workshops, as well as quantitative inputs such as surveys, market data, and visitor patterns. The goal is to understand both how the place sees itself and how it is perceived from the outside, then identify where those views align or diverge.
This engagement phase also builds trust. By creating space for honest conversations about strengths, tensions, and aspirations, communities can surface the stories that want to be told—not just the ones that have been told in the past. This lays the groundwork for a brand that reflects a broad spectrum of voices rather than a narrow set of interests.
Place Branding and Marketing Strategy
With a rich base of insight, the next step is to define a clear place brand and marketing strategy. This includes articulating positioning (how the place wants to be known), key audiences, core messages, and strategic priorities. It also clarifies how the brand intersects with other efforts—economic development, tourism, downtown revitalization, outdoor recreation, arts and culture, or workforce initiatives.
Here, strategy becomes the bridge between story and action. It lays out how the narrative will show up across channels, which platforms will carry it (from digital campaigns to wayfinding to events), and how different partners—public, private, and nonprofit—can align their efforts under a shared story umbrella.
Story and Identity Development
Once the strategic foundation is set, the focus shifts to story and identity development. This is where the narrative is translated into language, visuals, and experiences that people can recognize and feel. Naming, taglines, key messages, and editorial voice all channel into the brand story, as do visual elements like logos, color palettes, typography, and film and photography direction.
The goal is to arrive at an identity that feels both aspirational and honest to the people who live and invest there. If residents see themselves in the story and are proud to share it, the brand has added power.
Marketing Campaigns
With a clear identity in place, marketing campaigns bring the brand to life in the world. Campaigns might focus on attracting visitors to shoulder seasons, highlighting a new trail network, supporting downtown businesses, or recruiting remote workers and entrepreneurs. They can span digital advertising, social media storytelling, video, print, events, partnerships, and more.
Effective place-based campaigns balance emotional resonance with actionable information. They invite people into the story, then show them exactly how to participate—what to explore, how to connect with locals, and how to engage in ways that respect the community and environment.
Materials Development
To sustain the brand over time, communities need adaptable materials that partners can use and evolve. This may include brand guidelines, photography and video libraries, messaging playbooks, tourism or workforce materials, signage systems, and content kits for local businesses and organizations.
When local partners have access to branded designed materials, they can amplify the brand consistently without needing to reinvent everything from scratch. This distributed approach increases reach and helps the story show up across touchpoints—from storefronts and brochures to websites and social feeds.
Performance Analytics
Finally, performance analytics close the loop. By tracking engagement, visitation, campaign performance, and economic indicators over time, communities can understand what’s working and where to adjust. Analytics turn branding from a one-time project into an ongoing practice of learning and refinement.
This data-driven feedback also strengthens the case for continued investment. When stakeholders can see the connection between story-driven work and outcomes—such as stronger community pride and participation, increased overnight stays, improved business retention, or growth in specific sectors—it becomes easier to sustain momentum and bring new partners and resources to the table.
This work matters.
Partnering with communities and stakeholders to build stronger place-based brands is deeply rewarding because it sits at the intersection of design, storytelling, and community development.
At its core, this work is about helping people see and voice the strengths that already exist in their home, then amplifying those strengths in a way that feels honest and hopeful.
By channeling local values, culture, and history into a cohesive story, place-based branding helps create stronger communities that offer better experiences to residents and visitors alike. It doesn’t erase complexities or challenges; it acknowledges them while pointing toward a shared sense of direction. It invites people to participate in shaping the future of their place.
Most importantly, this work celebrates the unique and special essence of a place—and its people. It honors the landscapes that define a region, the cultures that have taken root there, and the everyday actions that give those places life. When a community’s story is clearly expressed and widely shared, it creates energy around the place: the kind of energy that attracts, retains, and inspires.
And we can’t get enough of it.