Sydney has beaten Melbourne in a recent Ogilvy PR and Public Affairs Asia report, ranking as the third strongest city in terms of brand value in the Asia Pacific region.
The 'Location Branding 2012' report, which claimed to be the first of its kind in the region, looked into the impact branding has on cities in terms of tourism, investment and talent.
It followed a survey of 300 senior corporate communications and public affairs staff in or connected to the Asia Pacific region.
Sydney ranked third out of a possible 16 cities, placing just behind Singapore and Hong Kong which took out first and second place respectively.
Melbourne scored fifth place, and was the only other Australian city to make the chart.
Other cities included Toyko, which came fourth, followed by Shangai, Seoul, Bangkok and Beijing. Delhi, Jakarta and Manila were the bottom three cities.
The report also found word of mouth to be the most "essential channel" for brand positioning, taking 59% of votes. PR ranked second with 51%, followed by social media with 40% and advertising with 30%.
Ogilvy Public Relations Asia Pacific chief executive Steve Dahllof said in the report: "As one of the world’s major growth regions, Asia Pacific is becoming increasingly competitive for investment, talent, tourism, and other drivers of economic growth.
"Public policymakers across Asia are starting to recognise the value of strategically shaping their image to give their city, country, or region a competitive advantage over others. Investors, travellers, and skilled workers have many options to choose from, and are shopping for locations that will not only give them a leg-up on their competition, but will become a part of their own story and experience.
"Our research strongly suggests that for cities looking to attract business investment and tourists, a focused location-branding strategy is a must.
"This report discusses the general findings of a survey among communications experts in the region and offers recommendations to location branding professionals who wish to make their locale stand out as prominently as any great brand should."
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