Cityscapes & Branding (Milan Edition)

How much influence can and should brands have on the cityscape?

Not only before the Salone del Mobile and the Milan Design Week in the following week, the moment when the city becomes a massive branding space for companies from all over the world, I'm walking around Milan, the city where I live, and I wonder where the fine line is between public philanthropy and pure branding. I don't want to open a discourse on infrastructure - I want to talk about the private sector that seems to dominate public and urban landscape.

Of course, as in other European and global cities, there's plenty of advertising. On billboards, in bus stations or even stamped on the pavement. But this is not what makes me wonder. It's about the design of squares, the branding of landmarks, streets, parks and other public spaces.

Brands – the modern religion

Passing the historic and beautiful Duomo, which is constantly being renovated, you see a giant Samsung screen advertising the company's products 24/7. OK, it's on the back of the church, but it's still very present. The same thing happened to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona a few years ago. I turn around, huge Gucci logo on a house here, and a Martini sign there. I'm not saying there shouldn't be sponsors on the foundations of landmarks - I'm just thinking of more subtle methods that suit the purpose and the landmark – and our eyes.

Well, it's about money, of course. In cities where there is money in the public purse, or at least distributed for the public good, local authorities should be more active, and in those where there is less money, companies can provide support.

Public philantrophism

As a result of politics (yes, really) in Italy, the public sector seems to be more invisible, which is why the big fashion houses and, apparently, Chinese tech companies have been taking over the maintenance of important landmarks for many years. Examples include the Colosseum in Rome, restored by TOD'S Diego della Valle, and the Spanish Steps by Bulgari.

In 2017, Starbucks planted palm trees in Milan's famous Piazza Duomo - a controversial move, presumably to persuade the city to open a coffee shop by the American chain. (In 2018, it was the first to open in Italy). Now the palm trees were being removed and new trees planted. This time with the full sponsorship of the Zegna fashion house. Of course it adds value and looks nice, but the interests here are too one-sided. I totally agree with the planting of squares, but how can brands and municipalities find a nice balance?

Ad and branding free zones

So as we are already surrounded by too much advertising and brand names, I plead for some public ad-free zones. Sure, they don't have to be in the heart of the city, like Milan's Duomo or New York's Times Square - that wouldn't be in anyone's interest, given the number of people who visit and take photos there every day. According to the website EnjoyTravel, Milan was the most Instagrammed place in the world in 2023. I won't give you the numbers, but it must be a lot.

Anyway, back to the ad-free places, where there is no brand logo on a building, no bench that I can sit on thanks to brand x, or a green park that I can walk through because this company paid for it and planted flowers with the company's logo on them. No, just a nice place paid for by the government and a detox for our oversaturated brains.

You’re not even from here

After I posted on LinkedIn about this topic, to invite people to share ideas or strategies on how to find the right balance between the public and the companies that invest in these places, I got different feedback. Some said I should not talk about this as I'm not even from here or a politician (fun fact: Many of the Italian politicians aren't even politicians) and some wondered how this kind of sponsorship was happening in Milan. A representative of the city of Helsinki (capital of the happiest country in the world for the 7th time in a row) posted that in Helsinki the city owns most of the land and this kind of "branding" wouldn't be possible - at least for the moment. She now sees it as very controversial. I'm not comparing Helsinki to Milan or Italy to Finland, but you can always learn something or be inspired.

Call for ideas and discussion

One idea could be not to let every brand that pays enough take over public spaces or decide its programme, but to propose projects that help the public and the citizens. This would also benefit the brand's image in a more sustainable and long-term way. In an 2014 interview I found in the Guardian about city branding, Afdhel Aziz, former brand director of Absolut Vodka, said that brands that want to experiment need to "tread carefully" and not approach it from a "selfish" point of view that is mainly concerned with the size of the logo. In fact, it is not just about positioning brands to score points in terms of brand repair, but how to create a delightful consumer experience so that people will voluntarily tell others about it, Aziz said.

What do you think? And do you know of any places or landmarks that have been created or redesigned primarily by companies or brands?

I'd love to read your comments or views on how this issue is handled in your city and country. You can also send me an email.

Until then, I don't go to church and I don't buy Samsung. Lol.

*Moritz