A New Milan on the International Stage
Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) are created by cities to promote the city brand across relevant markets. The creation of YesMilano, which Sowen was an integral part of, helped the city re-establish it’s position as a premier global destination, and drive significant increases to the city’s economy.
BRAND RECOGNITION AND POSITIVE REPUTATION
22% increase
TOURISM ECONOMY REVENUE INCREASE WITHIN
11% increase
Destination Marketing Organizations are created by cities to promote the city brand across relevant markets. They also define the city’s value proposition to external and domestic partners, tourists, and businesses. Sowen worked with the city of Milan, Italy, to reverse a seven-year downward trend in tourism numbers and attract investment and a skilled workforce.
Together, we created YesMilano- a new DMO model fitting the modern tourism consumer. This included a new public-private partnership (PPP) model that aligned with the mayoral vision for the city and promoted institutional investment. The agency model was approved by the city council and secured sufficient investment funding for a team of 25 staff, along with data, project management, and measurement tools needed.
Sowen also supported the creation and deployment of a data-driven three-year growth strategy. With new audience insights, the city was able to target both business and leisure tourism audiences better, domestically and from abroad. These new tools enabled expanded insights, collaboration, and reporting. The city has been able to compete with some of the world’s largest tourism destinations and significantly increase tourism revenue, foreign direct investment (FDI), and brand affinity.