In 2021, the Brussels-Capital Region launched a campaign to
bolster the city’s image, after an Ipsos survey revealed a deficit
between the good quality of life to be had in Brussels and
the perception of the city as a good place to live. As Edouard
Cambier, Brussels Brand Ambassador at BECI, explains:
“It’s not Brussels’ position in the rankings that’s a problem,
it’s the perception of Brussels. The quality of life here is
comparable to cities like Vienna, Amsterdam and Paris, but
when you look at how attractive people perceive Brussels to
be, it falls behind.” According to the Ipsos rankings, Brussels
lags behind cities such as Vienna, Copenhagen, Luxemburg,
Geneva and London in the general population’s perception
of the city as a good place to live and do business.
The problem seems to be caused somewhat by mixed
messaging. “Brussels is a diamond, but when I’m in the EU
district, there’s a different message to the one in Uccle or
Ixelles. The problem is not the diversity of the city, but the
diversity of messages.” The fact that the headquarters of
the European Union lie in the city is both a blessing and, to
some extent, a curse. Brussels often makes the headlines of
major news outlets around the world, but almost always in
relation to the EU institutions. “When Ursula von der Leyen
says something, they quote it as ‘Brussels says…’. Most of the
time they’re talking about something negative like sanctions
against China, pollution, taxes or the farmers’ protests. Most
people know Brussels through that angle.”
The launch of Brand Brussels
The deficit in perception drove the Brussels-Capital Region’s
push to turn things around in 2021. After preparing a
briefing and launching a call for papers, Resonance – a
major international agency specialised in city marketing and
based in New York – was chosen to develop a campaign that
would revitalise the city’s image. And thus Brand Brussels
was born, launching with a big bang in June 2023 at The
Square conference centre.
Many cities are facing similar problems. In the wake of the
COVID-19 pandemic, much of the talent moved away from
cities to the relative peace and quiet of the countryside.
This left less income for cities themselves to fund schools,
hospitals and so on. It was thus vital to start attracting talent
back to the urban environment
Brand Brussels launched as a collaboration between nine
different stakeholders in the region: the City of Brussels,
visit.Brussels, Brussels International, Bruxelles Synergie, hub.
brussels, commissioner.brussels, ULB, VUB and BECI. Each
stakeholder focuses on their area of expertise. Visit Brussels,
for instance, directs its efforts at attracting more tourists to
Brussels and specifically those who are more likely to spend
money in the city.
Meanwhile, the ULB and VUB universities are also undertaking
city marketing of their own. “The ULB and VUB universities
are using Brand Brussels to find new teachers. They want
good teachers who are connected to the economy, who
have a global network. A teacher who studied at Oxford is
more likely to attract students than a teacher from a lesser
known city. A well-known teacher will result in fuller classes
and thus more revenue for the university.”
BECI, on the other hand, is responsible for the private
sector with Edouard Cambier, Director of City Marketing,
spearheading the campaign. “Brand Brussels is an identity.
I want to make Brussels shine and for us to develop a shared
vision of Brussels. I would like us to have the same storytelling
for different kinds of people living in Brussels. If we can
have a shared message between the public and the private
sectors, it will be easier for everyone to attract new people.”
Brand Brussels at BECI
Edouard Cambier took the head of City Marketing at BECI at
the start of 2024, having already attended the Brand Brussels
launch event the previous year. Thanks to this push, anyone
who has attended an event at BECI this year should already
have heard of Brand Brussels. But how exactly can Brand
Brussels support companies? “The easiest way for me to
communicate about the brand is to put the brand into action.
Brand Brussels is a brand as a service,” explains Edouard
Cambier. This means that companies based in and around
Brussels can use all of the materials provided by Brand
Brussels as part of their own marketing to attract talent,
suppliers, vendors and clients.
“Brussels pays for all of the material: photos, logo, slogan, pitch. If you go to the Brand Brussels website, you can download all of these elements for your company. You can use the brand for free. There are no royalties to pay, it’s a gift for Brussels entrepreneurs.” Thanks to these resources, companies have access to a photo library, brand guidelines and ready-made sales pitches that they can use to market Brussels as a destination, to vaunt their industry or capabilities, or to promote a service or product. For example, a company may wish to use the Atomium as part of their marketing campaign, in which case they can visit the Brand Brussels website and download the relevant resources directly.
Edouard Cambier insists that we need to focus on attracting good talent to the city and making them happy about coming here. “Some people see a promotion involving a move to Brussels as a punishment. But once they get here, after two to three months, they realise that it’s a good place to live. Compared to London, people can get a lot more for their money: a house with a garden, a car… We need to show talent what they can get for their money in Brussels.” According to Numbeo’s Cost of Living Index, Brussels – with an index of 66.7 – is less expensive than Amsterdam (71.8), Paris (76.8), Copenhagen (77.4), London (80.9) and Geneva (112.5).
Why Brussels?
Brussels is not just a great place to live due to its relatively low cost of living, but also thanks to its vibrancy. “If we have a variety of restaurants, bars, nightlife, museums, activities and concerts in Brussels every night, we will attract more talent.” By showing that Brussels is just as lively as Paris, Amsterdam or London, as well as more affordable, the perception of Brussels as a great place to live and do business should be revived. “We want to attract the same kind of talent you see in Portugal, Spain and London. If the city is clean and safe, has well-balanced mobility between public and private transport, has enough bars, restaurants and nightlife, then we can do that.”
Brand Brussels has broken the attributes of the city down
into four key messages for businesses:
1. Brussels should be known for its superior quality of life, rich with culture and food. It’s also an incredibly liveable city which makes it a great place to grow a family, thanks to one of the best healthcare and education systems in the world. On top of that, more than 52% of the region is covered with vegetation.
2. Brussels is Europe’s most welcoming destination. It’s a connected city that doesn’t live by codes, but instead is diverse and inclusive. Bringing together more than 183 nationalities, it’s a melting pot of personalities, perhaps thanks to the fact that it’s naturally bi-cultural and bilingual (French and Dutch). Brussels is Europe’s second-most welcoming city for LGBTIQ+ community and gender diversity. It’s also a hub for networkers, with 300 diplomatic delegations and a host of international institutions.
3. Brussels is a creative capital city where everyone is encouraged to dare to bring their vision to life and shape the future. The EU may often be portrayed as ‘Brussels says’, but let’s not forget what the EU is: Brussels hosts the world’s largest transnational democratic initiative where decisions are made daily to impact the lives of 500 million Europeans. It’s also the European headquarters of more than 1,500 international companies.
4. Brussels is a city at the forefront of innovation. It’s pioneering and open to change. It dares to take the lead in sustainability and is ranked as the top walkable city. Redevelopment projects are also rejuvenating Brussels while embracing its history. Previously a customs facility, Tour & Taxis has been revamped to host everything from art exhibitions to cultural events and local markets. The Northern Quarter and the Canal area, previously a monofunctional business district and an industrial zone linking factories to the south with the port of Antwerp in the north, are also being spruced up to develop trendy, mixed-use areas with a new lease of life.
In addition to these attractive features, Brussels benefits
from a strategic location in the heart of Europe. It is an equal
distance from Paris, London, Amsterdam and Cologne and
well served by road networks. It’s also easy to access by
plane (with direct flights to 200 destinations in 66 countries)
and by train (thanks to Eurostar and other high-speed rail
connections).
What’s next for Brand Brussels?
For businesses, there is plenty still to discover at BECI with
new events under the Hello Brussels and Hello World banners.
BECI has also set up the Brussels International desk, a onestop shop supporting thousands of international companies,
expats and diplomats in Brussels (see also the article on the
Enterprise Europe Network in this issue).
A new Brussels Ambassador programme is also in the
pipeline. “We need big ambassadors, not the traditional
ambassadors like Stromae or Angèle although they are
welcome. But we would also like to have people from the
tech industry, R&D, big pharma and so on”, explains Edouard
Cambier. Ambassadors from different sectors would serve
as a point of contact for people looking to work or expand
their business in Brussels. “The idea is to have ambassadors
living and working in Brussels but also ambassadors living
abroad. They should be willing to give up some of their time
to go for a coffee with someone who wants to set up shop
in Brussels and give them some advice.”
The Brussels Ambassador programme will go live in 2025,
but the call for ambassadors is already open. “If you want to
be a Brussels Ambassador, you can register to join the list.
We’re currently collecting names and will try to select one
ambassador per industry to start.” There will also be various
events next year for interested ambassadors to learn more
about the programme and network with each other.
Officially launched a little over a year ago, Brand Brussels
is developing step by step. “First, we needed to launch
the brand, play with the brand and communicate about
the brand. Once all the tourists, teachers, students and
companies understand the strength of the brand, it will no
longer be concentrated in the nine players currently working
on it. It will be a project for the whole of Brussels.”
For more information on Brand Brussels, visit www.internationalbrand.brussels www.internationalbrand.brussels.