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 Technology and Manufacturing to...