City Brand Competitiveness: Exploring Structural Relationships Among City Brand Equity Elements in China

Abstract

Majority of cities in the developing and transitional parts of the world, being a global city has turned into a primary goal. With this trend, managing a brand asset of a city has become an important task for countries, especially China. Therefore, the study explores the causality between the city brand equity factors, and clarifies the correlation between city brand identity and city brand loyalty. Survey with the size of 300 was gathered to be analyzed. Through a rigorous instrument development process, the following five construct were identified: brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality, brand identity, and brand loyalty. The instrument was proven to have a good fit, reliability, and validity. Three factors (brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality) were analyzed on how it affects brand identity and the effect of brand identity on brand loyalty. The purpose of this paper is to provide preliminary strategical data for city development and marketers in China.