Global Smart Cities Provide Marketers with Insights on Urban Digital Change

As the CEO of a marketing and PR firm, I’ve seen an interesting trend over the past few years: big towns all over the world are going digital, which is similar to how businesses have changed.

These cities are using technology to bring their facilities up to date, keep their rich histories alive, and create a new image for the future. People who work in marketing should pay attention to this because these changes in society can teach us something.

The tech hub’s new name

We’ve long thought of certain places as tech hubs, like Silicon Valley in San Francisco, Beijing’s busy tech scene, or India’s Bangalore, which has a thriving start-up ecosystem. There are now new players on the field.

Austin, Texas, used to be known for its music scene, but now it’s a strong tech hub. The name of the city, “Silicon Hills,” is a market trick and a nod to its history as “Hill Country.” Austin is now seen as a cheaper, more lifestyle-friendly option to Silicon Valley, which is supported by its new nickname.

In terms of percentage growth, Austin has also been named the place with the most top tech talent. VC-backed tech startups in Austin hired 23% more people between 2019 and 2023, while big tech companies hired 44% more people.

How to fix your brand in the Austin way

Rebranding is a strategy process that needs to be carefully thought out and carried out. Austin was able to achieve by building on his strengths while also changing his identity. Austin’s rebranding approach can be put into action in three main ways by marketers:

• Find your brand’s strengths. For example, Austin builds on its image for being creative and having a high quality of life. When rebranding, marketers should find and highlight a brand’s core competencies.
• Gradual change: Austin added tech as an addition to its music scene without giving up its music scene, showing how important it is to take things slowly.
• Tell an interesting story: Changing Austin’s “Hill Country” into “Silicon Hills” tells a story of innovation while also honoring the city’s past. In the same way, marketers should write a story that connects the history of their company to its present and future goals.

This balanced approach is important for brands that are changing because it helps them keep customers and draw new ones.

Using technology to keep history alive

Many cities are trying to figure out how to use their past while also becoming more modern, just like Austin is trying to keep its creative and musical identity while rebranding. Cities that want to keep important paper records must use intelligent document processing (IDP).

Take the city of Dublin in Ireland, which has a past that goes back more than 1,000 years. Important historical papers were scanned at high speeds from a wide range of formats. These aren’t the scanners we used to use to make Facebook profile shots from Polaroids in the early 2000s. 730 pages per minute can be scanned by companies like IBM. This makes it possible for huge archiving and digital projects that were not possible before.

Similar work is being done in the United States. By September 30, 2026, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) wants to have digitized 500 million pages of records. NARA worked with ibml to help culture institutions like the Barack Obama Presidential Library in Chicago and government agencies like the EPA and IRS set standards for digitizing documents.

When you’re trying to make your brand more modern, don’t forget about its past. Instead, carefully include its history in the story you’re writing next. Think of this as the way Pepsi does things. The Pepsi image has changed over the years, but it has always been the same. This makes emotional ties with viewers stronger while showing progress and new ideas.

Modernizing infrastructure: the new story of a city

In the same way that a product marketer plans a campaign around a new feature or function, towns are updating their brands by making changes to their infrastructure. These efforts turn into powerful marketing tools that change how people think about the business and help it grow.

This is shown by Chicago’s Smart Lighting Program, which has been called the biggest project in the country to update streetlights. Chicago is saving money on energy costs and making the city safer by putting in wireless LED lights all over. This is an example of innovation and sustainability. In the first 10 years, this project should save $100 million on energy costs.

Atlanta’s population is growing quickly, and the city plans to add almost 2 million more people by 2050. Because of this, Atlanta is focusing on smart transportation options, such as putting sensors on roads to see how traffic flows. Together, these efforts and more walking and biking routes are helping to change Atlanta’s image as a modern, liveable city.

These cities are doing what every marketer wants to do: they are telling an interesting story of how technology has led to progress and change.

The solar revolution as an example of how technology can change

Digital change opens up great marketing chances, but if those chances are lost because of technical problems, the press and people can feel very badly about it. Even though it’s not a city project, a Mountain West Region solar plant is a great example of how digital progress needs constant monitoring and improvement. This is a lesson that can be learned by city leaders, tech companies, and marketers alike.

During talks with FTC Solar, the 100 MWdc solar plant, which is a green energy star in the area, realized it needed to go through even more digital changes. Their SUNOPS software helped fix problems with the tracker’s speed, which made it 99% better. The lesson here is that launches of new things, like goods, features, leadership changes, or digital transformations, need to be tracked and tweaked throughout the campaign’s lifecycle. Also, if the effort lasts forever, someone needs to keep an eye on it.

Modernization, science, and history: a balancing act

Every city, state, region, and country needs to think about how technology can help them keep their past and culture alive while also making their infrastructure and opportunities better for future generations.

For marketers, the lessons are clear: be proud of your past while coming up with new ideas for the future; tell an interesting story of change; and always put your audience (or people) at the center of your work.