Branding Orlando for Global Competitiveness
BRANDING ORLANDO FOR GLOBAL
COMPETITIVENESS
Executive Summary
Orlando is a brand known worldwide as a destination for tourism and sunshine. The city was listed amongst the most popular cities in US because of its tourist attraction and beautiful weather. However it was seldom recognized as anything else. Despite presence of many industries, flourishing trade and huge exports,
Orlando was absent from the list of most successful cities in the world. The core problem facing the city government is how to market Orlando as a vibrant business destination in addition to a tourist destination.
Though the major source of GDP and economic growth has been tourism, Orlando has developed significantly in past decade and is now home to several major industries such as Technology, Healthcare,
Manufacturing, Defense etc. these industries together employ over 90000 people and generate billions of dollars in revenue every year.
Orlando has several benefits to offer including its cultural diversity, trade zones, proximity to transportation systems, foreign direct investment and organizations which facilitate international trade and entrepreneurship. However, it faces few hurdles including high crime rate, poor standards of education and inadequate infrastructure which keeps Orlando from attracting people and companies from all over the world.
The main advantage of rebranding is that it will facilitate trade and thus generate additional employment and will boost city’s GDP. Given the competitive landscape, opportunities and challenges facing Orlando, the rebranding strategy should focus on leveraging the strengths to create a competitive advantage and a differentiated image for the city: the city to live in, the city which has the best weather, best amenities and best career opportunities. The recommendation is to adopt a phased approach for rebranding the city over a period of time. Initial phase will consist of promoting the existing industries such as
COMPETITIVENESS
Executive Summary
Orlando is a brand known worldwide as a destination for tourism and sunshine. The city was listed amongst the most popular cities in US because of its tourist attraction and beautiful weather. However it was seldom recognized as anything else. Despite presence of many industries, flourishing trade and huge exports,
Orlando was absent from the list of most successful cities in the world. The core problem facing the city government is how to market Orlando as a vibrant business destination in addition to a tourist destination.
Though the major source of GDP and economic growth has been tourism, Orlando has developed significantly in past decade and is now home to several major industries such as Technology, Healthcare,
Manufacturing, Defense etc. these industries together employ over 90000 people and generate billions of dollars in revenue every year.
Orlando has several benefits to offer including its cultural diversity, trade zones, proximity to transportation systems, foreign direct investment and organizations which facilitate international trade and entrepreneurship. However, it faces few hurdles including high crime rate, poor standards of education and inadequate infrastructure which keeps Orlando from attracting people and companies from all over the world.
The main advantage of rebranding is that it will facilitate trade and thus generate additional employment and will boost city’s GDP. Given the competitive landscape, opportunities and challenges facing Orlando, the rebranding strategy should focus on leveraging the strengths to create a competitive advantage and a differentiated image for the city: the city to live in, the city which has the best weather, best amenities and best career opportunities. The recommendation is to adopt a phased approach for rebranding the city over a period of time. Initial phase will consist of promoting the existing industries such as