Because the CEO of a advertising and PR company, I’ve noticed a captivating pattern lately: Main cities world wide are present process digital transformations, not not like the shifts we’ve seen in companies.
These city facilities are leveraging know-how to modernize their infrastructure, protect their wealthy histories and rebrand themselves for the longer term. Entrepreneurs ought to take be aware as a result of there are insights to be gained from these civic transformations.
The tech hub rebrand
We’ve lengthy related sure cities with know-how: San Francisco’s Silicon Valley, Beijing’s bustling tech scene or Bangalore’s activated start-up ecosystem in India. Now, we’re seeing new gamers enter the sphere.
As soon as identified for its music scene, Austin, Texas, has efficiently rebranded itself as a tech hub. The town’s “Silicon Hills” moniker is a testomony to its advertising savvy and a nod to its “Hill Country” previous. The brand new nickname helps Austin’s new place as a extra reasonably priced, lifestyle-friendly various to Silicon Valley.
Austin has additionally claimed the title of the fastest-growing metropolis for high tech expertise by proportion. Between 2019 and 2023, Austin’s VC-backed tech startups skilled a 23% development of their workforces, whereas large tech corporations grew their groups by 44%.
Methods to obtain an Austin-style rebrand
Rebranding is a strategic course of that requires cautious planning and execution. Austin succeeded as a result of by constructing on present strengths whereas pivoting in the direction of a brand new identification. Listed below are three key methods entrepreneurs can implement Austin’s rebranding technique:
- Determine present strengths: Like Austin, which leverages its fame for creativity and high quality of life, entrepreneurs ought to acknowledge and emphasize a model’s core competencies when rebranding.
- Gradual transition: Austin added tech as a complementary identification with out abandoning its music scene, demonstrating the significance of a phased strategy.
- Create a compelling narrative: Reworking Austin’s “Hill Country” into “Silicon Hills” tells a narrative of innovation whereas paying homage to Austin’s historical past. Equally, entrepreneurs ought to craft a story that connects their model’s previous with its present and future imaginative and prescient.
For manufacturers remodeling, this balanced strategy is essential for retaining buyer loyalty whereas attracting new audiences.
Dig deeper: Methods to safeguard your model throughout a digital transformation
Preserving historical past via know-how
Simply as Austin is retaining its artistic and musical identification in its rebranding, many cities are grappling with utilizing their historical past whereas modernizing. Clever doc processing (IDP) is essential for cities desirous to protect essential paper archives.
Take into account Dublin, Eire, a metropolis with greater than 1,000 years of historical past. Excessive-speed scanners digitized essential historic paperwork from many various codecs. These aren’t the scanners we used within the early aughts to show our Polaroids into Fb profile footage. Firms like IBM digitize 730 pages per minute, making large archival and digitization initiatives doable in a approach they’ve by no means been earlier than.
In the US, related efforts are underway. The Nationwide Archives and Data Administration (NARA) goals to digitize 500 million pages of data by September 30, 2026. NARA partnered with IBM to assist authorities companies just like the EPA and IRS and cultural establishments just like the Barack Obama Presidential Library in Chicago set up requirements for doc digitization.
The advertising lesson right here: Don’t discard your model’s historical past within the rush to modernize. As an alternative, fastidiously incorporate its heritage as part of your future narrative. Consider this because the Pepsi strategy. Pepsi’s emblem has developed over time, however at all times maintained its core identification. This deepens emotional connections with audiences whereas showcasing momentum and innovation.
Infrastructure modernization: A metropolis’s new story
Simply as a product marketer plans a marketing campaign round a brand new function or perform, cities are utilizing infrastructure enhancements to modernize their manufacturers. These efforts change into highly effective advertising instruments, reshaping public notion and stimulating development.
Chicago’s Good Lighting Program, dubbed the biggest streetlight modernization venture within the nation, is a primary instance. By putting in wi-fi LED lights throughout the town, Chicago is reducing vitality prices and bettering public security, telling a narrative of innovation and sustainability. This venture goals to save lots of $100 million in electrical energy prices in its first 10 years.
Atlanta, dealing with fast inhabitants development, expects so as to add practically 2 million extra residents by 2050. Because of this, Atlanta is specializing in good transportation options, together with the addition of sensors on roads to detect visitors patterns. These efforts, paired with expanded biking and strolling plans, are serving to rebrand Atlanta as a forward-thinking, livable metropolis.
These cities are doing what each marketer goals to do: Create a fascinating narrative of progress and enchancment tied to know-how.
Dig deeper: Why CMOs should be the corporate’s greatest advocates for digitalization
The photo voltaic revolution: A case examine in technological adaptation
Digital transformation presents wonderful advertising alternatives, but when these transformations fall flat because of technical points, the ensuing press and citizen sentiment might be dire. Whereas not a metropolis initiative, a Mountain West Area photo voltaic plant gives a superb instance of how digital development requires continued oversight and optimization — a lesson relevant to city planners, tech firms and entrepreneurs alike.
The 100 MWdc photo voltaic plant, a green-energy star for the area, acknowledged a necessity for additional digital transformation throughout conversations with FTC Photo voltaic. Their SUNOPS software program helped resolve tracker efficiency points, leading to a 99% enchancment. The lesson right here: new launches — merchandise, options, management modifications or digital transformations — should be monitored and adjusted all through the lifecycle of the marketing campaign. And if the marketing campaign is evergreen, there should be oversight as properly.
Balancing act: Modernization, know-how and historical past
Every metropolis, state, area and nation should take into account how know-how will help protect its historical past and identification whereas additionally modernizing to enhance infrastructure and alternatives for future generations.
For entrepreneurs, the teachings are clear: embrace your historical past whereas innovating for the longer term, inform a compelling story of transformation and at all times hold your viewers (or residents) on the coronary heart of your efforts.
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