CITY RESIDENTS’ PERCEPTION TOWARDS THE BRAND: THE CASE OF FAMAGUSTA AND KYRENIA (NORTHERN CYPRUS)

Abstract

City Branding literature commonly evaluates the brand image and public perceptions of well-known cities with a relatively positive brand image in various European countries. But they fail to consider how less known and smaller cities with troubled pasts, can be branded. This study focuses on an unknown place with a relatively negative brand image. To this end, we selected two cities in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; recognized only by Turkey. The study questions how residents perceive their city. Two groups of residents – professionals versus graduate students – living in Famagusta and Kyrenia are selected, and face-to-face interviews with 40 residents are conducted. The results show that despite the political and economic drawbacks of Northern Cyprus, residents of Kyrenia and Famagusta have both negative (e.g., poor city planning and infrastructure, pollution) as well as positive associations (e.g., the sea, beaches, harbours, safety, friendliness, quiet) with the city in which they live.