Renfrewshire

The borough includes Paisley, Scotland's largest town — but that is literally half the story (by population). It also includes Glasgow Airport, and Scotland's largest city casts a long and influential shadow. Is Renfrewshire part of this city region, a west of Scotland hub, a bit of both? How can it build its place brand, and how would it manage this with partners local, regional and national? Would all the effort be worth it? These were the questions we posed before the Council committed time and money to a potentially ill-conceived place brand.

Our assessment of readiness, addressing partnerships, investments, cross-sector sentiment, strategic alignment, digital maturity and investment pipelines informed creative workshops with borough leadership and c.100 core stakeholders. We found a collective will, and some of the partnerships and capability needed for success, but with a recognition that place partnerships and leadership could be better.

So the process has been extended to engage and advocate with wider partners to design a pathway to place branding that can effectively and sustainably inform, influence and inspire inward investment, community cohesion and tourism.