Imaginative Communities

Americans are loud. Amsterdam equals sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Mexicans are lazy and Germans are boring, but punctual. Paris is romantic, Wuhan infectious, Ukrainians heroic, and New Zealand untouched.

This is the way people around the world think about cities, regions and countries and the communities that live there; through cliches and stereotypes. It can be frustrating and hindering trade, diplomacy, investment, tourism, or talent attraction. Many believe that such image problems can be resolved with advertising campaigns, but the classic tourism promotion model is broken and insufficient. This book explains what works and what doesn't when it comes to improving the reputation of cities, regions, and countries. It does so without the use of jargon and with reference to numerous case-studies. The book primarily aims to inspire readers and offer them a broad overview of an issue in modern society that is of interest and relevance to all of us: the reputation of our communities.

New cover (by Arjen IJff, 2022), same book (2018)!

'This book will thrill leaders, planners, globalists, policy makers and sociologists with practical steps for implementing creative ideas that will invigorate community spirit and build reputation'. Booklife Reviews

'IMAGINATIVE COMMUNITIES: Admired Cities, Regions and Countries by Robert Govers is a feat of informative facts and fancies to set the imagination soaring... making it quite the timely read as civilization heads into the year 2020 and beyond'. With a rating of 4.2 (of 5) the book is IndieReader Approved.

'IMAGINATIVE COMMUNITIES is chock full of facts, charts, and information that can help guide local communities to a better sense of how they can become visible across the globe, while creating a positive impact. Its strength is in the examples it provides, from Bhutan's focus on happiness to Barcelona's branding through modernist architecture'.  IndieReader