Attributes of Milan influencing city brand attractiveness

•Drivers of the ability of the city of Milan to attract talented people are explored using a structural equation model.•Culture and education are the primary factors influencing the appeal of the city brand.•Social services, health, tourism, and internationalisation are all positive but secondary influencing factors.•Quality of environment, job opportunity and safety are negative or irrelevant.•Implications for city branding and place marketing practices are suggested.

This paper provides practical implications for local and global place marketing and management, focusing on the case of Milan's efforts to identify opportunities to enhance the city׳s perceived image in order to attract talent. By exploring different dimensions of the city׳s image, the authors provide an analytical technique for quantifying the competitive structure of Milan and its ability to attract talented people. A structural equation model is implemented to evaluate the drivers that affect the city׳s attractiveness to talented people. The results suggest that the most crucial attributes influencing Milan׳s ability to attract talent are culture and education. Social services, healthcare, tourism and internationalisation level are less important but positively affect attitudes towards the city brand. Additionally, the quality of environment has a negative impact, while job opportunities and safety are irrelevant.