Competitiveness of the Cities: Branding and Positioning

Abstract

Purpose: The primary aim of the research is to examine the branding and positioning of cities within the framework of competitiveness. In this regard, Silifke which is a district in Turkey has been analyzed in terms of competitiveness with its branding and positioning tendency. Theoretical framework: It is well-known fact that cities are in a competition with each other to attract entrepreneurs, tourists and citizens in today's globalized world. It is considered that the competitiveness of a city is largely determined by its branding and positioning features. Design/methodology/approach: The mixed research approach was preferred in the research process and data were obtained through a questionnaire using the Drugan’s (2014) Brand City Scale. In order to ensure the highest level of measurement quality, that encompasses reliability of the research, the simple random sampling method was preferred. The analysis process was carried out with the data from 476 participants. Findings: When the discourse analyses including qualitative data have been taken into account, it was found that the city differs with its sea, historical background, agricultural features, river and tourism opportunities. These features occur as competitors however; quantitative data analyses’ results identify that the city has only been regarded as a branding city with its agricultural production capacity. Research, Practical & Social implications: It is suggested that the future researches highlight the contributions by carrying out the comparative studies between the cities. Originality/value: The original aspect of the research is that there hasn’t been any research dealing with the city itself in terms of branding and positioning.