Episode 114: Marketing the city of Vienna - A Blueprint for Sustainable Change - with Florian Schleicher, Future Strategies

Welcome back… our first episode of 2026 - and in this episode of Can Marketing Save the Planet, we are joined by marketing strategist Florian Schleicher.

Florian shares his experience and provides a compelling insight into how marketing acumen can be the driving force behind a major city’s sustainability transformation.

In an exciting project with Vienna’s policymakers, Florian demonstrates how marketing’s role transcended traditional campaigns, integrating strategic storytelling directly into urban planning and civic engagement.

An approach rooted in the immense, tangible impact cities have on our collective future, Florian was guided by the data that “70% of all the future infrastructure investment will be decided in cities,” framing the work as a crucial lever for global good. A key philosophical decision was moving beyond guilt to focus on emotional resonance and belonging, guiding city counsellors to “finding initiatives that we can take, and then bringing them into execution whilst always having in the back of our minds that we want create an emotional link. We have to excite them.”

The project followed a disciplined, “Up, Down, Create” method: first brainstorming ideas globally, then filtering them down to 18 viable initiatives that fit Vienna, and finally creating one integrated concept. This process ensured initiatives like exploring white rooftops to cool the city were both impactful and communicable. To crystallise the vision, the team crafted a ‘future press release’, which acted like a “North Star” for how they wanted the city’s progress to be felt and talked about, focusing on the benefits.

For Florian, marketing’s potential in this space is undeniable. “Marketing definitely was and is part of the problem that we're in right now, but I think it also has the possibility and the capabilities to pull us out of it,” he argues. He sees a critical need for new roles like a “climate communications manager” in cities to bridge the gap between sustainability experts and the public, using the core skills of marketing, creating memories and driving behaviour change. His ultimate hope is that “we don't talk about sustainability anymore, but just about liveability.”

Tune in as we talk to Florian about:

🌎 How a marketer’s strategic process (“Up, Down, Create”) can structure a city’s path to a sustainable future.

🌎 Why focusing on emotional resonance and “liveability” is more effective for mainstream engagement.

🌎 Using a “future press release” as a North Star to align complex city initiatives around a single, inspiring vision of success.

🌎 The critical need to bridge sustainability and communications within city governments, and why marketing must be part of the solution.

For more information:

 

Visit www.future-strategies.com

Connect with Florian on LinkedIn

Enjoy - and if you love the podcast, share with your friends, family and colleagues.

Plenty more to come in 2026…

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