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Dr. João R. Freire

Dr. João R. Freire has a Ph.D in Marketing from the London Metropolitan University (UK). His research focused on the analysis of the interaction between “place-brands” and consumers. João's greatest interest is in branding and, more specifically, Place Branding.

After years of quantitative and qualitative research, Dr. Freire has developed new ideas and unique methodologies for place brand identity construction. Joao is an author and frequent speaker on Branding topics. His research has appeared in international publications, such as, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Journal of Brand Management, Social Responsibility Journal, the Journal of Tourism and Development and the book “Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice”. He is currently the Regional Editor for Europe, Middle East and Africa for the Place Branding and Public Diplomacy journal published by Palgrave Macmillan, London, UK. Joao has been involved in several place branding projects.

Most recently, Joao developed an innovative project for the Portugal Tourism Board. This project applies a new managerial tool to measure the attraction of 11 tourism regions of Portugal. Joao’s background in economics initially led him to work in the fields of finance and marketing for several multinational companies including Xerox, Saint-Gobain and the Cabot Corporation in Brazil, Portugal and the United Kingdom. He’s also the co-founder of two companies, Ecoterra and Epicuspicy, which are specialized in marketing and branding food products. Joao is currently based in Lisbon where he works as a Brand Strategist for Brandia Central.

Expertise: place branding • brand strategy