How can local areas attract inward investment amid global competition? This was the subject of the latest place branding masterclass for Japanese local officials to gain insights into locational marketing strategies from UK partners.
Adam Breeze (above), consultant on inward investment and founder of the ‘Make it England’ agency, spoke on his two decades plus working in inward investment promotion for a range of territories in the UK and globally, setting out both the emerging landscape for locational activity to attract corporates (e.g. Amazon HQ2) but also the constants in the economic and political circumstances faced by all local authorities.
Adam’s presentation to JLGC (and also staff of the London Office of the Japan External Trade Organisation) gave practical insights to staff members on a range of topics and history concerning how UK local areas compete to attract new investment and retain existing companies, including organisational culture and localisation of strategies through smart targeting.
These discussions included the evolving landscape of public agencies at site, city, regional and national level which exist to market local areas and opportunities for companies’ expansion, as well as the required mindset of investment professionals working amid the shift to digital marketing and changing expectations and perceptions among business owners (particularly tech companies).
Adam said: “The UK inward investment landscape has changed dramatically since major brands like Toyota, Nissan and Honda first arrived here. We are now seeing companies globalising from day one and delivering rapid growth for the locations that attract them. The one constant though is that all ambitious companies will be attracted by successful economies and both the UK and Japan have much to look forward to in this respect and should work together at national and local levels.”
