City as Brand: A Review of Reimagine the City Advertising Design Final-Year Project Exhibition

Abstract

This paper reviews Reimagine the City, a final-year project showcase of the Bachelor of Multimedia (Hons) in Advertising Design, Faculty of Creative Multimedia. Grounded in Malaysia’s multicultural heritage and diverse state identities, the project challenged students to develop 360° advertising campaigns for selected city councils, thereby demonstrating advertising as a tool for city branding. Conducted across two semesters, the project advanced from research and strategic planning to brand direction, production, and multi-platform execution. The review identifies three key findings. First, integrating cultural identity into campaign strategies enabled students to expand city branding beyond conventional tourism promotion, foregrounding narratives of diversity and heritage. Second, the staged pedagogical framework was effective in cultivating both analytical and creative competencies, with students demonstrating growth in strategy, storytelling, and execution. Third, the project evidenced the potential of advertising education to contribute meaningfully to civic discourse, linking creative practice with questions of urban identity. Overall, these findings suggest that Reimagine the City constitutes a model for embedding real-world challenges within creative curricula, underscoring how advertising design can foster critical inquiry, cultural sensitivity, and professional readiness. Ultimately, the showcase demonstrates how student-led projects can propose innovative approaches to city promotion and identity in Malaysia.