The Chicago Office of Tourism has caught the zeitgeist of tourism 4.0 with its new focus on neighborhood experiences. For the past year, the department has sent journalists (one of whom is a former travel writer for the Tribune) into the city to find the hidden local treasures that…

In a presentation last night to young professionals in Chicago on the ways to turn around America’s global image, Keith Reinhard, chairman emeritus of DDB Worldwide and the founder and president of Business for Diplomatic Action, offered an interesting perspective on ‘recruiting’ people to the U.S.…

Tweeting again today from the Global City Conference in Abu Dhabi.  Read my posts here.

I was on the branding panel with an outstanding group of people. Thomas Sevcik, CEO of Arthesia, moderated very smartly.  Her Excellency Reem al Shemari, General Manager, Abu Dhabi Office of Brand, showed off…

Paul O’Connor, former head of World Business Chicago and one of the smartest urbanists around, was my guest for a recent video conference.  Paul always has provocative things to say. Reviewing my notes of our conversation tonight on a flight from LaGuardia to Chicago that I almost missed, I was…

This is just too cool:  High-production value MP3 walking tours for Hong Kong, Shanghai and Bejing done by Louis Vuitton.  This idea has all kinds of potential for cities to amplify their vibe, history and brand.  I'm picturing a public/private website with scores of downloadable…

Innoblog reports on a study by Gavan J. Fitzsimmons of Duke¹s Fuqua School of Business in which he found that even subliminal exposure to brands may cause individuals to act in accordance with the traits that accompany those brands. Participants who were exposed to the Apple logo during…

Simon Anholt has announced his latest rankings of city brands. Topping the list is Sydney, Australia, followed by London, Paris, New York, Rome, Melbourne, Barcelona, Vancouver, Amsterdam and Montreal.

Simon based his rankings on a survey of 1000 international participants who answer a series of questions related to his City…