Client: Marketing Company Mönchengladbach
Project period: June 2024 – March 2025
The project in brief
Mönchengladbach is raising its profile: Together with Marketing Gesellschaft Mönchengladbach mbH (MGMG) , we are developing a strength-based city brand that brings together politics, government, business , and the local community.
A key component of brand development is a comprehensive public survey, from which we derive the brand profile, areas of focus, and marketing concept. For this project, we are working closely with our partners Brandmeyer Brand Consulting and deteringdesign.
Task and background
Like many large cities, Mönchengladbach is competing for skilled workers, businesses, visitors, and quality of life. At the same time, many residents find it difficult to pinpoint the city’s positive aspects: What does Mönchengladbach stand for? Why do we enjoy living here?
Our Mission
- Development of a Place Brand Strategy (Based on: Strengths Analysis, Resident Survey)
- Mönchengladbach’s Position in the Competition Among Cities
- Development of a marketing strategy with clear components and actions
- Involvement of the urban community and political opinion leaders
Our way of working
Bringing stakeholders together
The first step is to strategically engage key stakeholders: We’ll hold targeted discussions with top administrative officials, politicians, business leaders, educators, and civil society representatives. The goal: to build a shared understanding of why Mönchengladbach needs a strong brand and what role each person plays in achieving it.
Highlighting the City’s Strengths
Based on the citizen survey, we are working with experts from Brandmeyer Brand Consulting to analyze the perceptions, strengths, and ideal images held by the residents of Mönchengladbach. We translate these areas of strength into profile components. We always keep an eye on competitiveness and differentiation from other cities.
Co-Creation with the Urban Community
In workshops with representatives from urban communities, business, culture, education, and civil society, we distill the analysis into a place brand strategy:
- Sharpen the brand profile
- Developing Messages
- Define fields of action
- Develop measures for place marketing and urban development
This is how a brand is created—one that isn’t “conceived from above,” but rather developed collaboratively.
Political-strategic communication
At the same time, we provide communication support throughout the process for policymakers and committees: We prepare decision-making documents, facilitate dialogues, and ensure that the branding process is understood and supported across party lines. Key focus areas: transparency, highlighting benefits, and a clear division of roles between MGMG and the city.
From Brand Image to Marketing Concept
Finally, we consolidate the strategy, areas of focus, and prioritized actions into a marketing concept that includes recommendations regarding responsibilities and budget requirements. The concept serves as a working basis for MGMG and its municipal partners to gradually bring the Mönchengladbach brand to the forefront.
Exploring the city together—that’s also on our list of things to do in Mönchengladbach
The result
The clearly positioned, strength-based city brand for Mönchengladbach brings together the city’s profile, areas of focus, and marketing concept into a cohesive framework that will guide future projects, campaigns, and investments—to increase the city’s visibility both internally and externally.
Update: July 2026
Two years after the brand development process began, MGMG presented the brand profile to the City Council. Four areas of strength were identified as the foundation for brand development:
- The Heart of the Lower Rhine – Urban Life, Proximity to Nature, Regional Strength, and International Connections
- Committed to Community – Social Cohesion, Volunteerism, and Participation
- A City of Many Homes —The Diversity and Identity of the 44 Neighborhoods
- Opportunity Through Change – Innovative Spirit and the Willingness to Actively Shape Change
Step by step, MGMG and the administration are transitioning their communications to the new brand profile, including the new corporate design.
