Place Branding 

About: Place Branding is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Place branding & Corporate branding. It has an ISSN identifier of 1744-0696. Over the lifetime, 7 publications have been published receiving 1614 citations.

From city marketing to city branding: Towards a theoretical framework for developing city brands

Abstract: Cities all over Europe include more and more marketing techniques and methods in their administration practice and governing philosophy. The transfer of marketing knowledge, however, to the operational environment of cities proves a cause of difficulties and misalignments, mostly due to the peculiar nature of places in general and cities in particular as marketable assets. In this paper, city branding is suggested as the appropriate way to describe and implement city marketing. City marketing application is largely dependent on the construction, communication and management of the city's image, as it is accepted that encounters with the city take place through perceptions and images. Therefore the object of city marketing is the city's image, which in turn is the starting point for developing the city's brand. The most appropriate concept to understand marketing applicability within cities is the recently developed concept of corporate branding, which with the necessary modifications is applied to cities. The core of the paper is a theoretical framework to understand the city's brand and its management, which was developed through a review of the literature on both city marketing and the corporate brand. City branding provides, on the one hand, the basis for developing policy to pursue economic development and, at the same time, it serves as a conduit for city residents to identify with their city. In this sense the relevance of and need for a framework describing and clarifying the processes involved in city branding are equally strong for facing increasing competition for resources, investment and tourism on the one hand and for addressing urgent social issues like social exclusion and cultural diversity on the other. The framework focuses on the use of city branding and its potential effects on city residents and the way residents associate with and experience their city, and it is based on a combination of city marketing measures and the components of the city's brand management.

City branding: An effective assertion of identity or a transitory marketing trick?

Abstract: Cities throughout Europe are increasingly importing the concept and techniques of product branding for use within place marketing, in pursuit of wider urban management goals, especially within the new conditions created by European integration. But there is as yet little consensus about the nature of city branding, let alone its role in public sector urban planning and management. This exploratory paper first uses contemporary developments in marketing theory and practice to suggest how product branding can be transformed into city branding as a powerful image-building strategy, with significant relevance to the contemporary city. Secondly, it defines city branding, as it is currently understood by city administrators, and critically examines its contemporary use so that a framework for an effective place branding strategy can be constructed.

City branding: Can goods and services branding models be used to brand cities?

Abstract: A city's branding is investigated using generic product and services branding models. Two generic branding models and tourism segmentation models guide an investigation into city branding 'as it should be' and 'as it is' using Birmingham, England as a case study. The unique characteristics of city brands are identified and Keller's Brand Report Card provides a theoretical framework for building a picture of the brand-building activity taking place in the city. Four themes emerge and are discussed: 1) the impact of a network on brand models developed for organisations; 2) segmentation of brand elements; 3) corporate branding; and 4) the political dimension. A conclusion is that city branding would be more effective if the systems and structures of generic branding models were adopted.

Consuming heritage: The use of local food culture in branding

Abstract: The objective of this paper was to examine how specialised food marketing consultants interpret local and regional food culture and locality in branding food products to match consumer ideals. Inte ...

Localising public diplomacy: The role of sub-national actors in nation branding

Abstract: The post-9/11 world has brought public diplomacy back into the spotlight; yet the burden of winning the hearts and minds of foreign publics can no longer solely fall on the national government. Building upon the literature in international relations and communication, this paper discusses the vital importance of sub-national actors' engagement in the process of public diplomacy and nation branding. It explains the rationale for such involvement as well as delineating the possible roles they may play in the communication process. It argues that public diplomacy must be pursued at multiple levels, with sub-national participation being most effective in building mutual understanding and relationships. The analysis and propositions are not only theoretically important in the debate on the role of public diplomacy in nation branding and communication, but also have public policy implications in the design and execution of these programmes.