Can Sustainability be Achieved by Effective Branding of a Place?

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine the place brand construct and to establish its role in the sustainable development of a place. A place-specific branding campaign was considered and findings of this research suggest that place branding plays an important role in the sustainable development of a place provided that the momentum of progress is maintained. In turn these sustainable developments help promote the place and thereby create stronger place brands. There has been some academic research into the branding of places as sustainable centres for business tourism (Hankinson, 2004); however, there has been very little focus on the place brand concept itself, and no research on investigating the place branding and its relationship to sustainable development. This research sets out to explore the place branding process and its influence on the continuous development and sustainable growth of a place. The research also considers the evolution and the liminalities of the place branding and attempts to examine its role and importance in achieving sustainability. Thus, the main purpose of this paper is to provide new insights to the existing knowledge of place branding and its relationship with sustainable development.