The role of regional administrations in improving place branding effectiveness

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study ways, which regional administrations affect place branding effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted based on qualitative analysis. In total, 10 place branding cases of federal subjects of Russia were considered to estimate short-, mid- and long-term effects of place brands and quality of regional administrations’ place branding process management. The information on these cases was taken and systematized from three groups of sources, namely, official information from regional administrations (including regulatory acts); scientific publications focused on the brands of selected regions; data from federal and regional news agencies. Findings It is revealed that the quality of place branding processes is positively related to the presence and power of place branding effects, while the branding budget has no observable impact on place branding. The areas of attention for regional administrations intending to develop the place brand are defined. Research limitations/implications The limitation of this study is that the chosen approach is based on secondary data on brand-management practices that are publicly available. This information is mostly fragmentary and may not provide a complete view of place branding practices. Originality/value This paper provides a view on place branding success factors from the standpoint of the quality of branding process, rather than quality of the brand itself. The role of regional administrations in this process is studied, thus proposing a basis for integrating place branding in a public administration field.