João Freire

Professor João R. Freire holds a BA in Economics and an MSc and Ph.D. in Marketing. His background in economics led him to work in the field of finance and then marketing for several multinational companies in Brazil, Portugal and the United Kingdom. João’s main interest is on Branding, specifically Place Branding. João has years of quantitative and qualitative research and has developed new ideas and unique methodologies for place brand identity construction. He has also developed several branding projects for different places around the world. João is an author and frequent speaker on Branding topics. His research has appeared in international publications including Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Journal of Brand Management, Social Responsibility Journal, the Journal of Tourism and Development as well as the books “Nation Branding: Concepts, Issues, Practice” and “City Branding: Theory and Cases”. He was the editor of the book Nation Branding in Europe published by Routledge. João is the Regional Editor for Europe, Middle East and Africa for the Place Branding and Public Diplomacy journal published by Palgrave Macmillan. He is also a founding member of the International Place Branding Association. João Freire is a professor at IPAM and a vice-coordinator of the research center ICNOVA in Lisbon, Portugal.