STRATEGY TO DEVELOP CITY BRANDING OF CIREBON CITY IN WEST JAVA

Abstract

City branding is a means to achieve a competitive advantage to increase investment, tourism, and community development by strengthening local identity and citizens. City branding as a medium and message in marketing the city by using specific symbols and logos. The purpose of city branding is to build a city identity and increase the number of tourist visits. As an effort to build tourism in the city of Cirebon, it launched the City Branding tagline “The Gate of Secret”. The city branding strategy was chosen by the Cirebon City government as an effort to focus the tourism development program. Tourism is an important sector in the development of Cirebon City. Tourism is the driving force of economic activity and the locomotive of Cirebon city development. Through the city strategy, it is hoped that there will be an increase in the number of tourist visits to the city of Cirebon. However, city branding has not been able to increase the number of tourists in the city of Cirebon. In 2020, Cirebon city tourists only reached 40.5% of the target of 2.2 million tourists. Cirebon city branding has not been able to increase the number of tourist visits. The failure of the branding is because the Cirebon city government is still trapped in artificial activities. Where branding is just making a tagline and launching it. The tagline “The Gate of Secret” as a brand has not been integrated with the image of the city, tourist attractions, infrastructure, and society in the marketing strategy. The city branding strategy process has not been carried out by the Cirebon City government in developing city branding. To achieve the success of city branding, the Cirebon city government needs to do marketing. The presentation of tourism elements consists of an image, attraction, infrastructure, and people. These tourism elements must be integrated with city design, architecture, and spatial planning that form city branding. The city branding strategy is carried out by identifying what is owned and used as branding, setting city branding goals, communicating & interacting with various stakeholders with the city of Cirebon, and finally implementing which ensures all forms of communication from one city can be integrated.