Place-Based Branding Strategy Project - "He who chooses, will be chosen.”

After the Lehman Brothers collapse, the municipality of Eindhoven set an ambition to become the European leader in creative innovation by 2020, creating a dedicated programme and management structure to invest in the city's image and reputation.

Early phases targeted attracting top tech and design talent, increasing foreign direct investment, drawing technology enterprises and research institutes to the city, and raising residents' self-esteem; later phases shifted to activating residents, sustainable tourism, connecting talent, integrating newcomers and involving design professionals.

The city researched internal and external perceptions of its image, engaged citizens via the Digipanel (representing over 5,000 inhabitants), and had the council adopt three brand pillars — technology, design and knowledge (TDK). A core team of 15 local designers developed a visual identity (logo, typography, photography style, and the 'vibe' zigzag mark) with no slogan, free for public and commercial use except the reserved red colour. During the pandemic the focus shifted temporarily to local-support campaigns such as 'Keep our city strong.'

The strategy won the Place Brand of the Year Award in 2018, and the European Commission's Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor named Eindhoven 'Europe's most innovative city' in 2019; in 2017 it ranked among the top 10 in the Global City Talent Competitiveness Index. International media visibility increased substantially and visits to Eindhoven roughly doubled. Formal government recognition of Eindhoven as the Netherlands' third key economic pillar contributed to €130 million in national funds in 2018. International knowledge workers nearly tripled over eight years to 8,970. In resident surveys, 8 in 10 felt positive about the city's growth and 6 in 10 about its increasing international character, while 56% rated 'living in Eindhoven' 8 or higher (67% for 'working in Eindhoven').

The initiative illustrates how a coordinated, citizen-informed branding strategy anchored in a consistent visual identity, iterated over successive phases, is associated with reputational, investment and talent-attraction gains — though the figures are self-reported rather than independently evaluated.