‘Culture is the message’: The status of Cultural Capital and its effect on a city's brand equity

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the extent to which a city can increase its brand equity through its Cultural Capital status and the associated promotional activities that go on throughout the year. The European Capital of Culture is one of the most prestigious and high-profile European initiatives, with demanding requirements to match. In 2011, the title was awarded to Tallinn in Estonia and Turku in Finland; this study focuses on the latter. The methodological choices were guided by the aim of enhancing knowledge about brand management and bringing in new perspectives on the existing brand-equity theory. By means of ‘systematic combining’, the city case operates herein as a complementary instrument for theory development. The results show that Cultural Capital status may serve to develop the parent city. Managed well, it can increase awareness, motivate people to experience it and enhance the quality of such experiences. It also gives – through partnerships – the brand promoter opportunities to form a deeper relationship with visitors, thereby fostering loyalty. Focusing on the role of Cultural Capital status in branding a city, this article contributes to the academic literature on place branding. For practitioners, it highlights the importance of brand equity and the need to maintain a long-term focus within brand management.