The world’s most comprehensive research studyon perceptions of city brands Contents3About Brand Finance4 Methodology London is crowned as the world’s best city brand The Halo vs. Horn Effect. Do Domestic Perceptions Lag InternationalPerceptions: A Case Study of Nine US Cities.26 City Brand Spotlights Cape Town36Montréal38 Regional Analysis Africa44ASEAN47Australia48Benelux51Brazil52Canada55China56 Brand Finance Network Disclaimer Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand evaluation and strategyconsultancy. We bridge the gap between marketingand finance importance of sharing a brand’s story to reach We advise DMOshow to boost their place brands Brand Finance was set up in 1996 with the aimof 'bridging the gap between marketing andfinance'. We have been measuring and advising Brand Finance has been conducting an annualNation Brands study on the world’s mostvaluable and strongest nation brands for nearly20 years. It has provided key benchmarks for We pride ourselveson technical credibility Brand Finance is a chartered accountancyfirm regulated by the Institute of CharteredAccountants in England and Wales, and thefirst brand valuation consultancy to join theInternational Valuation Standards Council.Our experts helped craft the internationally The Global Soft Power Index expands on thatmethodology to provide an all-round viewof perceptions of nation brands. The BrandFinance City Index does the same for citybrands. Understanding those perceptions is keyfor national, regional, city, and corporate brands We quantifythe financial value of brands The stronger the place brand's perceptions, thegreater its ability to attract investments, marketits products and services, promote tourism, and We put 5,000 of the world’s biggest brands tothe test every year. Ranking brands across allsectors and countries, we publish nearly 100 We offer a uniquecombination of expertise Our teams have experience across a widerange of disciplines from marketing and marketresearch, to brand strategy and visual identity, Get in Touch For all enquiries, please contact:Konrad JagodzinskiPlace Branding Director, Brand Financek.jagodzinski@brandfinance.com linkedin.com/company/brand-financetwitter.com/brandfinancefacebook.com/brandfinanceinstagram.com/brand.finance Artur BryzghalovPlace Branding Manager, Brand Financea.bryzghalov@brandfinance.com For more information, please visit our website:www.brandfinance.com/cityindex Request your own A City Perceptions Report provides afull breakdown of your city brand´sperformance in all metrics of the Brand Each report includes expertrecommendations for improving your citybrand perceptions and offers a cost-effective Visitwww.brandfi nance.com/cityindexor emailenquiries@brandfi nance.com Brand Finance City Index 2023 The world’s top 100 cities, scored out of 100 Introduction everything it has to offer. Satisfied visitors becomeambassadors for the city, sharing their experiences Strong city brands also attract investment,businesses, and economic opportunities, creatingan environment conducive to development andgrowth. They enhance global competitiveness, foster David HaighChairman and CEO,Brand Finance I am particularly proud to also announce that Londonhas been chosen as the best city in the world,scoring the highest in many dimensions of the study, I am pleased to announce the launch of a newBrand Finance report on place branding, specificallyfocusing on city branding. This new report adds toBrand Finance's extensive track record in the field ofplace branding and complements our annual reportson Nation Brands and Soft Power, which are widelyrecognized as industry benchmarks. The purpose: However, a well-established city brand possessesmany other powers, as revealed by this study. Asuccessful city brand contributes to improving theperceived quality of life in the city, as demonstratedby Zurich being perceived as the Best City to WorkLocally and Remotely, Best City for Retirement andInvestment, Sydney being considered the best city to The study demonstrates that familiarity is thefoundational element when it comes to creatinga solid and effective city brand. To achieve acomprehensive evaluation of city brands in ourranking, in addition to measuring familiarity,respondents were asked about the overall reputationand their personal perception of each city regardingits suitability for living, local work, remote work, We hope that this report is the first of many,contributing to generating discussions about thevalue of place brands and becoming a point ofreference for decision-makers. At Brand Finance,we firmly believe in their value and that a city with ashared identity and vision internally and externally Based on this foundation, our experts work onbuilding city brands through strategic and actionableprocesses, establishing short-term tactics, as well aslong-term goals and objectives, in action plans thatpromote sustainable urban development. The Brand Cities tha