The pandemic’s impact on the world's most talked about cities

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Will the pandemic reshape the way cities use digital to promote tourism and investment?

 
 
 

For three years ING Media has tracked the top 250 cities globally to understand the impact of digital visibility across online news and social media on cities as brands. The most recent data suggests the way cities consolidate their digital image may have shifted during the pandemic.

How do we make sense of the world’s most visible cities – Tokyo, NYC, London, Paris – remaining on top, and what impact might Wuhan or Minneapolis’ dramatic increase in visibility have? With a greater focus on living local, is 2021 the year for more nimble cities to work together to gain profile? As cities plan for activity and visitors to return, this #INGsights event shared the latest research and heard how communications and marketing leaders from across the world are working to create unique urban stories.  

Speakers:


Respondents:

  • Marc Sans Guanyabens, Barcelona

  • Chris Brown, Marketing Liverpool (@chrisbrownml)

  • Cedric Grignard, Invest in Lyon

  • John Merry, Salford and Key Cities UK (@johndmerry)

  • Mahmoud AlBurai, Dubai Land Department (@ElburaiMahmoud)

  • Will Mapplebeck, Core Cities UK (@wimapp)

  • Eric Menges, FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH (@menges_eric)

  • Anu Syrmä, Helsinki Marketing

Discussants:

Gavin Smyth (Invest Glasgow); Nic Greenan (Bradford); Steven Spires (London & Partners); Charlotte Johns (Wolverhampton); Jon-Paul Hedge (Exeter); Christopher Hammond (Southampton); Jonathan Nunn (Kirklees); Marius Gurskas (Brand Lithuania); Mark Mobbs (Sheffield); Briony Brookes (Cape Town); Alan Waters (Norwich); Damian Woolfe (Lancaster); Andrew Stevens (Japan Local Government Centre); Jennifer Caswell (Dundee); Lynn Mutch (Invest Aberdeen); Philip Broadhead (BCP); Fidan Aliyeva (Azerbaijan Tourism Board); Jane Cunningham (Best Cities); Eime Tobari (COCREATIF); Kasper de Graaf (Images & Co); Natalia Rosa (Big Ambitions); Hollie Christian-Brookes (West Midlands Growth Company)

Follow us on Instagram or Twitter for updates on future events.

Email cities@ing-media.com if you would like to explore how ING works with cities.


Watch The pandemic’s impact on the world's most talked about cities event below:

 
 
 
 
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London, Cape Town and Rotterdam

 
 

Dubai and Liverpool

Barcelona and Core Cities UK

Key Cities UK and Frankfurt

Lyon and Helsinki

 
 

INGSIGHTS

 
 
 
 
 

ING Media’s exploration continues to suggest that investment and a city’s brand profile are positively linked with digital visibility. Cities that have leveraged national and regional networks, particularly smaller ones, have managed to expand their profile during the pandemic despite the impact of local lockdowns.

 
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While New York City and Tokyo have greater digital visibility than London and Paris, London has far wider penetration in terms of the number of cities it is able to reach. However, the world’s most talked about cities were generally unable to gain advantage over each other during 2020.

 

The start of the global pandemic, and the tragic murder of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests in cities around the world were two of the biggest stories of 2020. While Wuhan saw a spike above the average annual trend, it was not sustained or substantial given the global reach of the COVID-19 pandemic. Minneapolis, however, saw a peak almost twice as high as any other city. Networked, live events are likely to remain the major focus around cities as lockdown conditions lift.

 
 

Photo: William Fortunato / Pexels

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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