Thirteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Places often have concerns about communicating with their audiences. Cities, regions, and nations from all around the world are applying branding techniques as a way to respond to the pressures of territorial competitiveness, both as in terms of a touristic perspective and with the intention of stimulating domestic audience. Tourism plays a very important role in the economy of Florianopolis, Brazil. However, the seasonality of this activity - particularly intense during the summer months and milder in the rest of the year - cause an imbalance between supply and demand throughout the year. As an alternative to summer tourism, the city government has been investing in actions that encourage tourism to a diverse audience, focused on attracting investors and members of the creative class. This paper exposes the methods and tools used during Projeto Rota da Inovação, a branding process that aimed to build the brand that will represent the technological and innovative face of Florianopolis. Results underline the main adaptation needs to the application of a business branding methodology to an urban branding context. They also suggest that participatory place branding practices can be used as a stimulus to urban development and community engagement.