City Branding Process Research Articles

A MARCA DA CIDADE COMO UM FATOR DETERMINANTE PARA O MARKETING DA CIDADE

Porpuse: The project aims to comprehend City Marketing's role in positioning Bogotá as a brand through strategic implementation, targeting residents, tourists, and investors as key stakeholders in the city's branding process. Theoretical framework: The research aims to analyze City Marketing in Bogotá, requiring explanation of basic concepts for reader comprehension. It distinguishes between city and marketing to explore their application, viewing the city as an organizational brand. Method: The research consisted of five phases: descriptive analysis of secondary sources, analytical investigation with surveys, pilot test, fieldwork, and statistical analysis. A sample of 384 individuals was obtained from a population of 2,751,278, across strata 3, 4, and 5, in 10 out of 21 localities in Bogotá, considering the highest population density. Results and conclusion: Out of 384 surveyed, 74% don't recognize Bogotá's image, 11% have seen it in a tourist site, and 15% are unsure. Additionally, city mayors confuse residents by associating slogans and promotional elements with the city brand. This indicates a divergence between the mayors and the Bogotá city brand. Implications of the research: City Marketing in Bogotá can boost tourism, benefiting residents with economic growth and cultural diversity through visitors. Additionally, it fosters a sense of belonging and promotes a positive image of the city, both among its residents and abroad. Originality/value: The study seeks insights on City Marketing's impact on Bogotá's brand among specific demographics, emphasizing understanding cities as brands to promote self-sufficiency.

Brand value analysis of brand equity in the new Solo City logo

Background: This article analyzes the factors that affect brand equity in the search for brand value in the new visual logo Solo city, which functions as part of city branding. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to present four factors of brand equity. These four factors are what determine the search process, namely brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality, and brand loyalty and their implementation of the new visual logo of the city based on the perceptions put forward by residents of Solo could act as a parameter for measuring the effect value of the new logo as part of city branding process of Solo city. Methods: This research uses quantitative methods based on a questionnaire with 120 respondents; the test results were carried out using the Cronbach Alpha method (SPSS). by Brand Loyalty factors, marketing results, and brand awareness. Conclusion: This study also shows that there are significant differences in the results of the assessment, namely, the Brand Value factor, as thefactor that has the most influence in between supporting elements of the city of Solo, such as the municipal government, stakeholders, and residents. Implications: The results in the conclusion of model hypothesis testing show that variables of H1 to H6 are accepted. The results of this study form the basis of delivering recommendations and have implications of using logos as promotions and contributing to increasing the brand image of Solo.

Toward contemporary city branding in the digital era: conceptualizing the acceptability of city branding on social media

PurposeThis study aims to propose a conceptual framework for the acceptability of city branding on social media. The conceptual framework of the acceptability of city branding is necessary to achieve a successful city brand in the social media era. It tries to develop the use of social media in city branding practices and its acceptability, especially in the areas of urban planning and development. The study also explores important issues in the use of social media and its acceptability in city branding practices.Design/methodology/approachThis study was initially conducted using a literature review of relevant, recent, and trustworthy scholarly publications (books, journals, reports, and proceedings) about city branding and acceptability from the electronic database by using relevant terms and keywords to find the relevant literature. The next step was to identify the essential variable described in the literature and assess how these are connected to one another. The last step was to create a conceptual framework using the variables that were found and their interrelationships.FindingsSocial media is crucial for determining a successful model of city branding strategy. Incorporating social media in the city branding process may lead to emerging bottom-up forms of influencing the city branding process, creating better-accepted city branding from wider audiences and guaranteeing a long-term successful city brand. The results of this paper indicate that one can utilize social media user-generated content (from residents and visitors), local government-created content, peer interaction, electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), and the engagement and participation medium to understand whether city branding is accepted by stakeholders through nine dimensions of acceptability: knowledge, information diffusion, experience, attachment, congruence, behavioral intention, perceived quality, engagement, and participation.Research limitations/implicationsThis research outcome can be used to evaluate and extend the classical theory of the acceptability of city branding, or even the overall umbrella term of branding, in the digital age. Despite its contribution, this study is not without limitations. The conceptual framework herein is best suited to a branded city with a high social media penetration rate to better represent real-life phenomena in the offline environment; in other contexts, it presents certain reliability concerns regarding its implementation.Social implicationsThe conceptual framework herein is best suited to a branded city with a high social media penetration rate to better represent the real-life phenomena in the offline environment; in other contexts, it presents certain reliability concerns regarding its implementation.Originality/valueThis research highlight some acceptability dimensions of city branding practice and also emphasize social media platform as useful tool to understand people's opinion, attitude and behavior. Combining these two concepts of the acceptability of city branding and the use of social media provides an opportunity to achieve the goals of meaningful, authentic and resilient city branding.

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ПРАКТИКИ БРЕНДИНГА МАЛЫХ ГОРОДОВ: ОПРОС РУКОВОДИТЕЛЕЙ ГОРОДСКИХ АДМИНИСТРАЦИЙ

This paper aims to study the practice of city branding in small cities and towns, and to identify the characteristics of this process through an expert survey of the heads of city administrations. For this purpose, the expert survey was conducted among the heads of small cities and towns and their deputies in charge of city development issues. The sample consisted of one representative from 33 small cities and towns in Russia. The survey used a questionnaire characterizing city branding objectives, stakeholders involved, decision-making, brand promotion measures, resources and effects. The questionnaire was developed based on the analysis of scientific and practical literature on city branding. As a result, it was revealed that, with some exceptions, branding practice in the studied cities is weakly related to the objectives of city development and has a short-term orientation. The administrations have a tendency to solve branding problems relying solely on their own resources, which leads to city branding resource constraints. These findings contribute to the city branding research by providing data on the implementation of branding practices in small cities and towns. The results also expand the practice of using municipal officials’ expertise in the city branding studies by attracting expert officials to analyse the management practice of city branding process.

Branding the Creative City of Design: Lesson from Singapore

Over the last two decades, creative cities have become an issue of interest as governments in several countries have worked to develop ecosystems where the creative class can innovate and share ideas. Many city governments focus more on developing creative cities and pay less attention to their city's branding. This study aims to see Singapore as a newly appointed UNESCO creative city brand, even though it already has a destination brand. There are challenges about which brand should come first or how to strategically brand a city and ensure all interests are accommodated in the branding process. This study uses a qualitative method with in-depth interview data collection techniques with the Head of the Singapore Polytechnic Department of Architecture and Design, literature studies through books, journals, newspapers, and related matters, as well as observations in the city of Singapore. The results of this study show that Singapore's branding as a creative city of design is a component of the city-state's leading branding. First, the city branding process includes identifying the uniqueness of the city brand. In this case, the emphasis on Singapore is built and grown by design. Next is the development of a brand identity that differentiates Singapore from other UNESCO design creative cities. Finally, the delivery of brand messages to all relevant stakeholders. This research contributes to the development of branding concepts related to creative cities.

THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE DIMENSION IN CITY BRANDING IN DIGITAL AGE

City branding, as a relatively new concept and research topic, has been positioned as one of the most important factors for overall city image and its further development. Besides location, infrastructure, natural beauty, heritage, prerequisites and potential, people are also seen as an integral part of city branding, especially in digital age. Local population represents an important pillar of city branding due to its characteristics, hospitality (joviality and friendliness), as well as lifestyle (relaxation, enjoyment in food and drink, friendship, music). The aim of this paper is to analyze the role and importance of the local population in city branding in the digital age. This paper may be valuable for city leaders and residents who are involved in the city branding process, because it analyzes and provides guidance on how the local population affects the general atmosphere of the city and its brand in the digital age.

Membangun City Branding Lokalitas dalam Tumbler Starbucks: Suatu Pendekatan Budaya

This research aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how Tumbler Starbucks City Series Indonesia builds city branding on displayed cities. The method used in this study is qualitative with several supporting techniques such as library study techniques, listen, and record. The results of this study showed that the Tumbler Starbucks City Series can be said to "successfully" display a form of local wisdom such as highlighted elements of dance culture, traditions, and landmarks. Nonetheless, the process in building city branding has not been able to be a strong parameter in an effort to increase tourists. There are several problems that can be felt in the application of city branding in the cover tumbler Starbucks City Series. First, the branding implications contained on this tumbler cover have some contradictions between marketing goals and communication goals. Second, the city image built on a Starbucks City Series tumbler is limited to traditional landmarks and dance. Third, the relatively expensive price of tumblers is also a major drawback to the city branding process in Starbucks tumblers.

The digital communication tools and citizens' relationship with local governments: a comparison of Georgian and Polish cities

This article aims to explore the impact of digital communication tools application by citizens and the perceived usefulness of social media on the relationship between citizens and local authorities. The data were gathered in April–September 2020 through a survey (CAWI) among citizens of Poznan, Poland (n=502), and Kutaisi, Georgia (n=504), and were analyzed with structural equation modeling. The findings show that the intensity of digital communication tools usage for participation in the city branding and the perceived usefulness of social media contribute to the lasting relationships between citizens and local authorities in both countries. The novelty of this research concerns comparing two countries with different levels of development. Georgia is a developing economy in Europe and is in the process of modernizing the local governance across the cities. Poland, however, is a mature economy with a post-transformation heritage, where its cities benefit from considerable experience in building and developing citizen participation policies. Furthermore, the research was conducted amid the COVID-19 pandemic and evidenced the growing popularity of digital tools adoption by citizens in city matters. This study contributes to understanding the impact of digital tools on the relationship between citizens and local authorities in terms of city brand management. Citizens' participation in the city branding process via various digital communication tools increased citizen commitment towards long-lasting collaboration with local authorities. Moreover, citizens' perception of social media usefulness positively influences their desire to engage in the city branding process online, supporting the trust-building and collaboration between citizens and local authorities. Points for practitioners The intensiveness of digital tools usage – governments should identify the tools already trusted and popular among their audience and employ those tools to a greater extent to maximize the chances of feedback, high citizen participation, and commitment. Citizens’ perception of social media – such characteristics as ease of use, transparency, ease of communication with the municipality, and safety encourage citizens to get involved in the city brand management process. Consequently, local authorities should consider the features mentioned above and develop the online tools quality.

The ‘commodified’ colonial past in small cities: shifting heritage-making from nation-building to city branding in South Korea and Taiwan

ABSTRACT Amid increasing interest in city branding in East Asia, the municipalities of Gunsan (South Korea) and Chiayi (Taiwan) chose colonial heritage-making as their city branding strategies to recreate their cities’ identities and regenerate their economies. Both cities were mostly built by Japanese imperial authorities and thrived in the 1920s and 1930s but deteriorated in the post-colonial period. Seeking to overcome long economic recessions, these two small cities endeavoured to rebrand in the twenty-first century. Their cases illustrate novel approaches to adopting colonial heritage-making at the small city level in national contexts where the management of colonial heritage is conducted mostly as part of the nation-building process. By comparing post-colonial Gunsan and Chiayi, this study presents comparative perspectives on post-colonial city branding processes and sheds light on different post-colonial responses to colonial heritage-making. The strategic and pragmatic preservation of colonial heritage in these two small cities has simultaneously produced city narratives of ‘commodified’ colonial modernity that represented the would-be cities’ aspiration for being identified on the global map. We analysed the effects of ‘commodified’ colonial modernity – the recolonisation of past by now – and identified possibilities for alternatives.

TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE MODEL FOR BRANDING NEW CITIES

Recently, the competition between cities worldwide has been raging while attempting to attract domestic and international investment, residents and visitors. Consequently, governments resorted to City Branding (CB) approach either to create or develop competitive identities for their cities. Since then, an abundance of literature on city branding is being produced by academics. Yet, it appears that the branding new cities has received lesser or no attention in the city branding literature. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to develop a comprehensive model for branding new cities. This model is based on the analysis of 20 models and frameworks of place, city, and destination developed by academic researchers and practitioners. The proposed model consists of 11 inter-related components that are proved to have a strategic importance in for the success in the development and management of city branding process. Therefore, it provides a wider perspective unlike previous models that tackles the branding process from different perspective. This comprehensive model is addressing professionals and practitioners, government officials to guide and assist their efforts to effectively create and manage brands of new cities.

Bologna City Branding

The purpose of the article was to analyze the standardized city branding process that since 2014 has restructured the public space of Bologna and redefined the emotional territory of its citizens through the active remodeling or branding of urban policies. As is known, Bologna’s global brand is based on the generative logo City of Food is Bologna (Bonazzi, Frixa 2019), which has re-generated the spaces of consumption by translating them according to the terms of contemporary documedial capital (Ferraris 2020; Semi 2015). However, the writing of this article has coincided with the latest stages of the Quarantine imposed by Covid-19 and the imminent start of so-called Phase 2. The unprecedented event of the pandemic has temporarily suspended the functioning of the current City of Food by placing the atmosphere of euphoric consumption in quarantine. In other words, a Landscape of Quarantine has critically overlapped that of the City of Food and revealed its fragility and crisis – which, however, was already made evident by the voracity with which branding had consumed its ethical potential (Arvidsson 2007). On the threshold of the quarantine, and waiting to understand the fate of the Bologna branding, the whole process has therefore been analyzed in the light of Jean Baudrillard’s analytical categories relating to the “fourth, the fractal (or viral, or radiant) stage of value” (Baudrillard 2001a) and within the temporal torsion that is typical of the unexpected interference of any crisis.

City citizenship behavior and participation in promotion

Over the past few years, residents' participation in public matters has gained increased importance along with the involvement of internal stakeholder groups in the decision-making process. This trend has also been embodied across city branding theory and practice. Therefore, the paper focuses on residents' role as citizens. The main objective of the study is to understand citizens' participation in local matters and the relationship between citizenship behavior and involvement in the city brand promotion practice. The study is based on the survey data (CAWI) acquired from citizens (n = 503) from Poznan, Poland. According to the research findings, citizens with a high level of so-called citizenship behavior are likely to also engage in the city branding process, namely in the promotion. The findings also highlight relationship between citizens' age and participation intensity. The survey results are valuable to local government authorities. The findings also suggest they should treat the residents as the most relevant stakeholders and encourage citizen participation by stimulating the feeling of citizenship. The study empirically proves that citizen participation in real-life directly correlates to their involvement online. The concept of citizenship behavior is adapted to the specificity of a CEE market and proved to be a reliable measurement tool.

Economic city branding and stakeholder involvement in China: Attempt of a medium-sized city to trigger industrial transformation

Among known studies of city branding by Chinese megacities to realise urban transformation, there is no explorative study of how smaller Chinese cities engage in city branding and attempt to trigger industrial transformation. In response, this article presents an in-depth case study of city branding processes in a medium-sized Chinese city. Roles, resources and interactions among the city's stakeholders are analysed during the brand creation and implementation stages in two different economic city branding projects. The stakeholder involvement mechanisms we identify confirm that city branding creation in China primarily follows political rather than business channels. Chinese local public authorities and more specifically key politicians, departments, and public enterprises are core stakeholders in branding creation. However, this leads to challenges in the branding implementation, since key public sector players tend to withdraw themselves when implementation begins, leaving previously uninvolved private (and public) players to implement the brands. The unsuccessful transformation contrasts with those observed in Chinese megacities, where involvement of powerful corporations and support from higher levels of government are both much higher. It appears that the imperative of broad stakeholder involvement to make city branding successful as we know it for Western cities may also apply in medium-sized Chinese cities.

Ningbo city branding and public diplomacy under the belt and road initiative in China

This paper takes Ningbo as a case study to examine stakeholders’ perceptions of the city image and city branding strategies under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Using stakeholder approach and in-depth interviews with 53 city officials, residents, businesses, and expatriates in Ningbo, the authors argue that public diplomacy has influenced city branding strategies in the globalizing world. Different stakeholders have different perceptions toward city brand image based on their interests, focuses, and concerns. Expatriates are a crucial external stakeholder group in the city branding process. This study makes both theoretical and empirical contributions. Theoretically, the study contributes to enhance the link between public diplomacy and city branding concepts, thus further bridging the disciplines of international relations and marketing with the inclusion of the expatriates as significant stakeholders. It also provides interview-based empirical data to the studies of public diplomacy and city branding in the Chinese context.

Intra-organizational brand resistance and counter-narratives in city branding – a comparative study of three Danish cities

PurposeThis study aims to contribute to an increased understanding of intra-organizational city brand resistance by identifying and discussing different types of counter-narratives emerging from the political and administrative arenas.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical material consists of secondary data as well as six in-depth semi-structured interviews with Danish mayors and city managers in three different municipalities in Denmark.FindingsIntra-organizational counter-narratives differ from inter-organizational counter-narratives but resemble a number of issues known from extra-organizational resistance. Still, significant differences are found within the political arena: lack of ownership, competition for resources and political conflicts. Lack of ownership, internal competition for resources and distrust of motives play an important role within the administrative arena. Mayors are aware of the needs for continued political support for branding projects but projects are nonetheless realized despite resistance if there is a political majority for it.Research limitations/implicationsThis study points to the implications of city brand resistance and counter-narratives emerging from the “inside” of the political and administrative arenas in the city, here defined as “intra-organizational counter-narratives”.Practical implicationsIt is suggested that politicians and municipality staff should be systematically addressed as individual and unique audiences and considered as important as citizens in the brand process.Originality/valueSo far little attention has been paid to internal stakeholders within the municipal organization and their impact on the city branding process approached from a narrative perspective.

BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL CITY BRANDING CASE STUDY: DUBAI

City branding is a current topic that is important nowadays. Many cities have actively started to build and manage their city brands during the last decades. Today, cities all over the world are competing with each other for different target markets and their attention. Cities aim to increase foreign direct investment and attract visitors, businesses, employees, talent, and residents with their city brand. This ensures the growth and success of branded places. In best cases, even small villages and locations are turned in to destinations with successful place marketing and branding efforts. The objective of this paper is to find out the steps of successful city branding process, and study the branding of Dubai.

Wonderland in winter and little Europe in summer: a case study on how Harbin promotes its international image

This study used mixed methods, including in-depth interviews with Harbin’s policymakers and a survey given to Harbin’s foreign residents, to obtain their opinions on how Harbin promotes its international image. After examining Harbin’s policymakers’ international policymaking processes and foreign residents’ evaluations of the city, we found that the combination of government policies, city branding strategies, and relationship building promotes a city’s international image. From the theoretical aspect, this paper not only expands public relations research by applying it to a city’s promotion of its international image, but also enriches current city branding literature by revealing how a city conducted a city branding process. From the practical aspect, cities that are similar to Harbin can refer to this model to enhance their international image, and draw lessons from Harbin’s international image promotion process.

Requirements for rural tourism branding: a case study in Trenggalek

City branding is a prominent subject in city development for tourism. However, the number of studies that focus on city branding process for rural areas is still limited. In this paper, we demonstrate the city branding process of Trenggalek and compare the process and results with those of major city branding. This study employed content analysis to investigate key icons of Trenggalek city branding using an in-depth interview as a primary research instrument to collect data from Trenggalek stakeholders, followed by a focus group discussion and a survey using a structured questionnaire addressed to Trenggalek citizens. The results showed that the city components used in branding comprised beach, mountain, and Turonggo Yakso. This research results confirm the outcomes of previous research that for small cities, icons, in most cases, will consist of related historical or cultural themes. City branding process for rural areas has been proven to be much simpler than that for major cities.

Requirements for rural tourism branding: a case study in Trenggalek

City branding is a prominent subject in city development for tourism. However, the number of studies that focus on city branding process for rural areas is still limited. In this paper, we demonstrate the city branding process of Trenggalek and compare the process and results with those of major city branding. This study employed content analysis to investigate key icons of Trenggalek city branding using an in-depth interview as a primary research instrument to collect data from Trenggalek stakeholders, followed by a focus group discussion and a survey using a structured questionnaire addressed to Trenggalek citizens. The results showed that the city components used in branding comprised beach, mountain, and Turonggo Yakso. This research results confirm the outcomes of previous research that for small cities, icons, in most cases, will consist of related historical or cultural themes. City branding process for rural areas has been proven to be much simpler than that for major cities.

The application of tourist gaze theory to support city branding in the planning of the historic city Surakarta, Indonesia

Globalization has led to increasingly fierce intercity competition. At the same time, it has motivated these cities to grow and develop by building their own local uniqueness spatially displayed in urban spaces. However, poor understanding of the utilization of local values makes cities in Indonesia compete using identical methods without bringing out their respective uniqueness. As a result, their ongoing city branding efforts often become futile, short lived, and even, sometimes, confusing for the society. This paper attempts to examine the city branding processes of a historic city in which the tourist gaze can be involved directly in the development of such processes by considering all the elements of society actively. This is a case study of Surakarta City, Central Java Province, which is better known as Solo City. The research was undertaken in a historic area in Jalan Rajiman and Jalan Slamet Riyadi. What makes these findings unique is the identification of the three stages of the tourist gaze occurring consecutively in each spatial zone. In terms of the architecture, the sequence of those three gaze stages can be connected directly to the current urban space and architectural establishment.