Client: City of Flensburg
Project period: 2023 – ongoing
The project in brief
How does Flensburg communicate to its 90,000 citizens and visitors what is already great about Flensburg’s city center in an easy and understandable way? How can the city tell stories with offers and images – and attract people?
The City of Flensburg ‘s Department of Economic Affairs, Marketing and International Cooperation posed these questions in a tender. We at Stadtmanufaktur were able to convince them and win the contract – together with our cooperation partner, Brandmeyer Markenberatung.
The aim of the collaboration is to create a sharp city center profile as well as an event and communication concept that clearly answers the questions posed above.
Task and background
A sustainable city centre. This is the concern and drive of many cities with which we are in contact. But how does sustainable actually work? – The answer is complex, but the core task is the same in every city: defining a profile, communicating a profile.
Although cities like Flensburg can boast a large number of master plans, concepts, ideas and (urban development) strategies, there is often no big, unifying bracket. With a focus on Flensburg’s city center, what is missing is a vision – as well as a narrative to put the city and the future of the city center into words.
Participate, explain, inform: Thorsten Kausch, Managing Director of Stadtmanufaktur, presents the procedure for the city center profile.
The order at a glance:
Development of an identity-creating and image-shaping profile for Flensburg’s city center, which …
- builds on existing urban planning concepts such as the urban development strategy and center concept,
- these by the aspects of “creating experiences” and “target group-specific communication” aspects,
- Flensburg city center’s clear areas of strength compared to its regional surroundings,
- also breaks these down to neighborhood level and
- prepared for implementation in the form of individual communication and marketing measures as well as sharpened or new event concepts.
In its communication on the process Flensburg speaks of a “city center strategy“. In terms of implementation, however, the main focus is on developing a vision and narrative as well as a suitable event strategy and marketing for Flensburg’s city center.
The Flensburg.City website explains the process surrounding the city center strategy.
Our way of working
Creating identity, shaping image – with a city center profile
For us as experts in place branding and urban development, the first step in developing a vision and storytelling is to identify the uniqueness of Flensburg’s city center . This is achieved through a holistic analysis of strengths, participation and co-creation, stakeholder management and strategic communication.
Milestones in profile development:
- 2023
- Potential and competition analysis
- Development of a participation concept
- 2024
- Workshops with stakeholders – to analyze strengths
- Online survey on Flensburg city center – aimed at citizens and visitors from the German-Danish environment
- Evaluation of the survey – identifying brand drivers
- Internal strategy workshops
- External action workshops with stakeholders
- Development of the city center profile
- Development of measures for the city centre and its districts
- 2025
- Presentation of the results
- Start of implementation of measures
Each milestone of the “City Center Strategy“ is published on the website Flensburg.City website.
City center forum: Participants define the target groups of Flensburg’s city center (citizens, visitors) using personas.
Participation and results of the online survey:
Interest in the future of Flensburg’s city center is high and stakeholders are activated. This is also reflected in the high level of participation in the online survey: 4,759 citizens from Flensburg and visitors from the German-Danish region shared their views on the strengths and weaknesses of Flensburg’s city center with us.
These are the positioning strengths for Flensburg’s city center at a glance:
- Harbor and conveyor on the doorstep
- Scandinavian flair
- Historic cityscape
- Shopping as an experience
- Gastronomy and culture in the heart of the city
These strengths will be communicated and showcased in future, while barriers to visitation are to be overcome through communication and development. Other ways of profiling the city center are Strengthening the substance by improving the quality of stay and increasing the appeal through targeted events.
The online survey is considered a milestone in the city center strategy – implemented and evaluated by Brandmeyer Markenberatung (source: Flensburg.City).
Communication and events for Flensburg’s city center
The new event and communication strategy also benefits from the participation of citizens and stakeholders in Flensburg. Event formats are discussed, potentials analyzed and results presented in individual discussions and workshops.
Our task is to transform the many statements and approaches into a concept with concrete events and communication measures.
Milestones in concept development:
- 2023 – As-is analysis of events and communication in the city center
- 2024
- Sharpening or redesigning events
- Development of a communication strategy – to market the city centre
- 2025 – Presentation of the results and start of the measures
Citizens and stakeholders from Flensburg learn more about the “inner city strategy”
The result: Joining forces for the future of Flensburg City
“Getting in front of the bow wave” and actively shaping transformation. Maritime Flensburg shows how it’s done: Flensburg is on the way to a city center profile that will be lived out in future in communication and with suitable events. Together with the Flensburg team, we are already achieving important goals of the “city center strategy” in the process. After all, the city is not only concerned with measures, but also with breaking down barriers, involving citizens – and thus activating new allies and forces for Flensburg’s city center.
Photos: City of Flensburg / Unsplash
Flensburg’s historic cityscape is considered a positioning strength of the city center (according to the online survey).
