Abstract
ABSTRACT This study evaluated the branding of a slum project as a social marketing initiative to transform the Jodipan slum area into a tourism village in the city of Malang. An action–evaluation research project was conducted through the combination of the marketing and planning oriented approaches by the communications department at a major public university in Indonesia between June 2016 and October 2017. The study employed a case study supported by qualitative data from primary and secondary sources, including social media text mining analysis. Moreover, an evaluation survey was conducted using proportionally random sampling from 650 slum dwellers to assess the impacts of the project in terms of the general welfare of the community. The transformation of the slum area into a new tourist destination was found to have been successfully implemented through the combined marketing and planning-oriented community social marketing project. The tourist destination produced was also observed to have a good impact on environmental sustainability and economic value for the local community. Jodipan branding project is unique as observed in its ability to transform an unhealthy settlement into a healthy settlement. Theoretically, it has contributed to new knowledge on slum upgrading in urban studies, especially with the focus on the successful improvement of the physical, social, and economic conditions of the area. This research further contributed to a new understanding and novelty of knowledge on the ability of place branding, as a social marketing strategy, to change the behavior of slum dwellers. However, this research has limitations in exploring the local government’s response to the project, therefore, future studies need to clarify issues relating to local policies and official budgets for its sustainability.
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