Place Brand Equity Research Articles

Estimating stakeholder-based place brand equity: one place, multiple perspectives

Objetivo: O objetivo desse estudo é desenvolver e testar uma medida de valor de marca de lugar baseada na perspectiva de múltiplos stakeholders.Metodologia/Abordagem: O valor de marca de lugar baseado no stakeholder é estimado por meio de CB-SEM, usando MANOVA para comparar as diferenças e similaridades entre aqueles que têm diferentes interesses e comportamentos em relação ao lugar. Os resultados são baseados em pesquisa conduzida com stakeholders do Vale dos Vinhedos, região vinícola do sul do Brasil.Resultados: A lealdade teve o maior efeito no valor da marca, seguida pelo valor percebido e pela consciência de marca, a qual apresentou um efeito negativo. Os grupos de stakeholders foram distinguidos baseados em interesse e comportamento (frequência de visita e proximidade). Houve diferenças significativas em todas as dimensões do valor da marca quando comparado o grupo com alta frequência de visita em relação àqueles com baixa frequência. Por outro lado, houve limitações na diferenciação do valor da marca nas outras duas abordagens de agrupamento.Contribuições teóricas / metodológicas: Há uma predominância, na literatura especializada, do uso de critérios subjetivos para agrupar stakeholders, o que limita a realização de estudos comparativos entre diferentes grupos e lugares. Esta limitação é endereçada com o desenvolvimento de uma medida que considera comportamento para formar grupos independentes de stakeholders: comunidade, locais e turistas.Relevância / originalidade: Os resultados embasam a proposição de uma medida para avaliar a perspectiva de múltiplos stakeholders sobre o valor de marca de lugar baseado em dados comportamentais.

Modeling the effects of place heritage and place experience on residents’ behavioral intentions toward a city: A mediation analysis

Based on branding and place branding frameworks, we build a comprehensive model which allows the unraveling of the mechanism by which behavioral intentions toward a place brand are formed. Two serial mediation hypotheses are proposed and tested from the perspective of (prospective) residents. Conducted on a sample of residents of a French city (N = 571), this study shows that place brand heritage and place brand experience positively influence place brand equity, which in turn positively influences place attachment. Place attachment then influences residents’ behavioral intentions toward the city. Thanks to a Bayesian assessment of the uncertainty and plausibility of competing mediation models, the results also validate our more parsimonious relationships network, hence reinforcing the mediating role of both place brand equity and place attachment. Our findings also provide local governments and city brand managers with recommendations regarding how to maintain and enhance relationships with residents.

Branding cities, regions and countries: the roadmap of place brand equity

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is two-fold: to expand the understanding of brand equity for places (e.g. countries, regions or cities) and propose two frameworks to increase its value.Design/methodology/approachBy interviewing international participants, this study was exploratory and interpretative; thematic analysis was performed for a broader understanding about place brand equity.FindingsThe Roadmap of Brand Equity is provided by proposing three “pathways” founded on core value drivers as “road signs” (potential influences or main variables of the value of a place brand), which are required to be strategically monitored and aligned to place branding activities to enhance the value of a city, region or country. Value drivers of place brand equity and the roadmap of place brand equity are proposed through the figures.Research limitations/implicationsA natural progression of this study is the investigation of place brand equity by applying statistical procedures for measuring places. Due to specific locations’ (often) unfavorable and threatening reputations worldwide, the key value-drivers (government initiatives, stakeholders' perceptions, residents’ engagement, news media, social media and real data indexes) are noted as influential partakers – either separated or combined – when analyzing their brand equity.Practical implicationsBoth proposed archetypes suggest applications for several co-creators involved in public or private places, which can be beneficial for both emerging and non-emerging countries, regions or cities. Furthermore, both may be applied to the analysis of other places (e.g. universities, schools, museums, public squares, airports, hospitals, etc.).Social implicationsThis study may inspire planning and actions for public policies, including private partnerships, government initiatives and practical endeavors.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to perform an analysis of brand equity of places under a qualitative approach and to propose strategical frameworks for both research and practice.

Customer-Based Place Brand Equity and Tourism: A Regional Identity Perspective

The major purpose of place branding is to attract tourists and investors by enhancing the value proposition of a place through its unique regional identity. We undertake two studies to test the impact of regional identity on destination brand loyalty, and thereby on investment attractiveness. Study 1 involves identifying the dimensions of customer-based place brand equity (CBPBE) from a regional identity perspective. Data were collected from the state of West Bengal in India. Results of exploratory factor analysis show a four-dimensional structure of CBPBE consisting of brand salience, brand meaning, perceived quality, and brand attachment. Based on 290 responses collected from Thailand, we use these CBPBE dimensions in study 2 to develop and validate the psychometrically robust CBPBE-RI instrument. Finally, we test for the impact of CBPBE-RI dimensions on destination brand loyalty and investment attractiveness. The results have managerial and theoretical implications.

Analysis of territories marketing activities among small and medium business: a bibliometric analysis

The article summarizes the arguments and counterarguments in the scientific discussion on place marketing. The study's main purpose is to understand the nature and features of existing research on marketing areas to determine the direction of future research for both scientists and practitioners. Systematization of literature sources and approaches to solving the problem of marketing areas suggests that many studies in this area require a synthesis of existing research. The urgency of solving this scientific problem is that although the use of marketing in public administration has intensified in recent years, there are many problems in this area. The research of place marketing was carried out in the following logical sequence: determination of the impact of the authors, journals, and articles on territorial marketing, keyword analysis, identification of marketing clusters, visualization of scientific literature on place marketing. The study covers 1970-2021. The research object is 1611 relevant publications published in various scientific sources. The most influential journals were found to be the Journal of Business Research, Tourism Management and Marketing Theory. The most cited authors were Kavaratzis M. and Warnaby G. Most of the articles have been published by researchers from the USA, England, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, and France. Eight key clusters were identified in the marketing of territories: politics, tourism, model, identity, place branding, residents, framework, city brand. In the last five years, most research has been devoted to placing brands, destination marketing, geographies, politics, culture, place branding, identity, tourism, involvement, governance, impact, smart city, loyalty, community. Areas of future research could include destination brand, technology, regeneration, legitimacy, experiences, word-of-mouth, attitude, reflections, memory, inequity of cities, inclusive place branding, brand equity, place attachment, place identity, and others. It is also recommended to focus on city-twinning, sister city, municipal cooperation. The study results could be helpful for companies involved in developing the brand of territories, local authorities for the development of place marketing, and scientists researching place marketing.

Place Brand Equity and Domestic Investors’ Choice: A Case Study in Vietnam

Selecting an investment location is one of the most crucial decisions of investors as it has a great influence on the operation and development of the business in the future. At the same time, the attraction of localities will bring advantages for socio-economic development for the localities invested. Investors are interested in localities that have the potential to invest. The study focused on analyzing and testing the influence of place brand equity on the choice of investment locations of domestic investors through a regression analysis using 425 survey samples of investors in Phu Tho province, one of the northern industrial zones in Vietnam. Research results showed that 56.5% of investment decisions depended on factors from place brands. In addition, in the decision-making process for choosing investment locations, brand awareness factor had the greatest impact on investor's decisions, followed by brand image and brand personality, and finally brand confidence had the smallest impact. Therefore, in the coming time, in order to retain and attract domestic investors to choose Phu Tho as an investment and business destination, it is necessary to increase the value of place brand equity and implement solutions to promote place brands to investors.

Factors Determining City Brand Equity—A Systematic Literature Review

The aim of this study is to analyze factors determining city brand equity (CBE) on the bases of a systematic literature review (SLR) according to a procedure developed by Tranfield. Five databases were searched (Scopus, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, EBSCO, and Elsevier) for studies containing the term ‘city brand equity’. In addition, databases were searched for ‘destination brand equity’ and ‘place brand equity’ statements focusing on city brands. This SLR contains 36 empirical studies and does not include conference materials, and books. The analysis was based on three issues: general information (author/authors, year of publication, research tools, sample size, city and country as well as sample population), research specification (variables, hypotheses or research questions, statistical methods and research tools), and findings related to CBE and practical implications for destination marketing organizations, and destination or city managers. In summary, there are many factors determining CBE, including brand image, brand quality and brand awareness. These factors are related to cultural, environmental and ecological elements, as well as infrastructure and services offered to tourists. Brand assets related to the perception of the city brands in various aspects also proved to be important.

Country Brand Equity: The Role of Image and Reputation

ABSTRACT Country brand equity (CBE) is expanding in theory and in practice; however, little has been published on its conceptualization. By incorporating ‘reputation’ into the place brand equity construct at a country level, we provide a theoretical multidimensional framework for CBE. Seventeen interviews with international researchers were undertaken for theory building. A seven-dimensional CBE framework was developed according to the interpretations of two constructs - country brand reputation (‘share of experience’) and country brand image (‘share of mind’) - along with country brand associations, country brand awareness, country brand loyalty, country brand perceived quality, and channel relationships. We conclude by outlining potential further research avenues and implications for managerial practice. These contributions may guide policymakers, government officials, executives, and scholars in maximizing the value of a place brand (e.g., country, region, or city) by focusing on ‘reputation’ as an added (qualitative and/or quantitative) construct. This study may also inspire insights into joint efforts of public and private strategies and actions on economic performance, consumer welfare, and business decisions for national prosperity.

Customer-based place brand equity and investments: study of West Bengal

Some places command greater interests among tourists for prospective visits owing to its place brand equity. Similarly, the places that command higher interests among prospective investors attract higher investments as well. Administrative machinery of ‘places’ engages in public diplomacy so that the ‘place’ can create positive impact among the target audience. This study tests the relationships between the perspectives of customer-based place brand equity (CBPBE) namely, destination branding, public diplomacy and investment attractiveness. The study checks for the impact of destination branding and public diplomacy perspectives of CBPBE on the investment attractiveness perspective. Considering ‘West Bengal’ as the place brand, the study also tests the operationalizability of recent place brand equity scales. Finally, based on the responses given about West Bengal’s brand equity policy implications and insights are discussed.

Measuring Customer-based Brand Equity of Tourism Destinations: Just a Matter of Scale?

An increasing number of measurement scales has been developed in order to measure the customer-based brand equity of tourism destination (CBBETD) brands. However, there is a lack of theoretical development about the measurement of brand equity in such a context. A review of recent approaches shows that most contributions selectively focus on specific cases and tourists as stakeholders, while most articles demonstrate little methodological or conceptual reflexivity. Considering the variety and complexity of places, the paper argues that measuring place brand equity requires an inductive exploration of the construct's dimensionality for the specific place under consideration. Research can then focus on comparing multiple places associated with similar product or service offerings. Cross-place assessments should compare similar territorial entities, but include more destinations located in different spatial-cultural contexts. Furthermore, the inclusion of more stakeholders (e.g.,local residents) and more longitudinal comparisons are required to make the findings more meaningful.

Measuring customer based place brand equity (CBPBE) from a public diplomacy perspective: Evidence from West Bengal

A glaring paucity of a measuring instrument for place branding effectiveness and place brand equity still remains. This study contributes theoretically by exploring and developing the dimensions and instrument of customer based place brand equity (CBPBE) quantitatively, in the context of international relations (public diplomacy) between two places, West Bengal (in India) and Bangladesh. To this end, the study employed: focus group discussion, depth interviews and survey, in order to develop and validate the items generated to measure CBPBE. Confirmatory factor analysis was used on a total sample of 437 respondents that resulted in a nine (9) item CBPBE scale, represented by multidimensional constructs namely: place brand salience, perceived quality and place brand engagement. The CBPBE construct is then tested with brand loyalty – investment attractiveness construct in a conceptual model in order to verify the nomological relationship of the instruments developed.

W poszukiwaniu wiarygodnych metod pomiaru skuteczności budowania marek miast

Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie różnorodnych perspektyw rozumienia skuteczności działań na rzecz budowania marek miast. Autorki proponują podejście do zagadnienia pomiaru skuteczności strategii marki miasta, czerpiąc zarówno z dorobku marketingu, jak i zarządzania publicznego oraz określają implikacje takiego podejścia dla praktyki zarządzania markami miast.W opracowaniu zastosowano analizę aktualnych podejść do pomiaru skuteczności działań marketingowych przez miasta, uwzględniając perspektywę marketingową i zarządzania publicznego. Analiza dotyczyła przeglądu założeń powyższych ujęć w kontekście stosowanych metod pomiaru. Szczególną uwagę poświęcono koncepcji kapitału marki terytorialnej, który jest propozycją kompleksowego ujęcia skuteczności podejścia marketingowego wyrażonego w kategoriach marki, uwzględniającego przede wszystkim perspektywę nabywców oferty jednostek samorządowych.Projektując system pomiaru skuteczności strategii marki miasta, podmioty publiczne powinny rozpocząć od ustalenia czym jest marka miejsca, jakie funkcje pełni i jaki jest potencjalny zakres jej oddziaływania. Następnie przyjmując wskaźniki oceny skuteczności powinny równolegle uwzględnić te, które będą odnosiły się do kilku wybranych metod pomiarowych, uwzględniających materialne i niematerialne (wizerunkowe, emocjonalne) rezultaty, wywodzące się nie tylko z marketingu, ale również z zarządzania publicznego oraz biorąc pod uwagę różne perspektywy czasowe występowania owych rezultatów. Pozwoli to na bardziej całościowe ujęcie oddziaływania marki na rzeczywistość jednostki terytorialnej, jaka jest miasto.

Measuring Place Brand Equity: A Review of Current Models

IntroductionBrands are parts of our daily lives. They surround us in the form of a product we take off from a shelf in a shop, or in the form of a service we inquire, the firm we work for, and even the city we live in. Brands are capable of influencing our decision, and many times they can even define the way we decide. And the decisions we make are often related to more than just the toothpaste we buy, the mobile phone we use, the car we drive, or the restaurant we like to go to - they also refer to the place where we want to live, the destination we choose for our holidays, the place where we want to set up a new branch for our company or where we want to invest our savings.In the case of classic brands, products or services, the immaterial and the material values of the brand are taken into account separately during the process of defining brand equity. When it comes to a company selling a product or service, the material values include the factories and the equipment the company owns, as well as the patents it holds. The values of these can be defined easily, of course, but in the case of the immaterial values - which are not objects, as their denomination suggests - the process becomes more complex. We are talking about those values which, in the mind of the consumers, are associated to the respective product or service. Consequently, brands have both the characteristics that are based on facts, true statements and reality, and the characteristics that are based on impressions, ideas, stories and feelings.Today there are very few differences between the products we buy and the services we inquire, regarding the functionalities of the products and the quality of the services. That is why the values consumers associate with a certain brand comes to the front. When buying a car, the consumers will not make their choice based on the basic or even extra functions the car might have, but mainly based on what the logo placed on the front of the car communicates to them.Consumers place confidence in brands, thus they assume that the product they purchase will live up to their expectations. Nowadays consumers do not appreciate the product on the basis of its effective value, but rather based on the product's ability to deliver the experiences they are expecting (Govers - Go, 2009: 149). Thus, the brand becomes a promise, a guarantee for the consumers that proves their good decision. Therefore, one can affirm that the value of a certain product depends on the way the consumers relate to the brand. Branding literature emphasizes that the consumers are the ones who can make a product, a service, a person or even a place to become a brand, because the strength of a brand relies in the conscience of the consumers, and this strength has relatively little to do with the effective qualities (Anholt, 2005: 4).In the same time, we should not forget about the emotional influence of these brands either. Through these brands we are able to communicate certain things about ourselves towards our community. Luxurious brands directly communicate material well-being, and they also suggest that the individual has a higher social status. We often decide to buy the product of a certain brand because we can, or at least we want to identify ourselves with the values the respective brand represents. The story of Apple is a good example for this: on the one hand, they succeeded in winning customers trust by creating only high quality, reliable products while, on the other hand they also encouraged costumers to think uniquely, be original, innovative, even eccentric (obs. Apple's slogan, which is still valid today, suggests this encouragement: Think Different). Thus, they transmit a message, a value with which masses of customers can identify themselves. Truly huge brands have a unique personality, and they do not offer simply a product or a service to customers, but rather an experience, a feeling. Usually, people make their decisions partly on the basis of rational arguments and partly based on emotions. …

An assessment of place brand potential: familiarity, favourability and uniqueness

Purpose This paper aims to present an approach by which to assess the potential of branding a particular type of place resource or feature. Design/methodology/approach A review was conducted to analyse three key periodicals (Journal of Brand Management, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy and Journal of Place Management and Development) in the field of branding and place branding between 2000 and 2011. These three periodicals are recognized as the three leading periodicals of place branding, and they followed the clear establishment and development of the field of place branding. Findings Familiarity, favourability and uniqueness are the three dimensions that give a quick indication of the level of place brand equity, and in turn they represent the level of place brand potential. Research limitations/implications In the literature, brand potential is not well conceptualized. This paper identifies this knowledge gap through a review of place branding studies, and it closes the gap by connecting brand potential with place brand equity. Originality/value This paper suggests practical and research directions by which to study these three dimensions to generate valuable brands for places.

Measuring customer-based place brand equity (CBPBE): an investment attractiveness perspective

Place branding has increasingly gained attention in last the two decades. However, there is a lack of measuring instrument for place branding effectiveness and subsequent place brand equity. This study develops a measurement instrument for customer-based place brand equity (CBPBE) for a place from the investment attractiveness perspective. Exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis were used which resulted in an 11-item CBPBE scale. The dimensions of the scale consist of brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality, and brand loyalty. The study makes both theoretical and managerial contributions by offering a refined scale for the measurement of CBPBE which provides a tool for effective place branding activities and strategies.

Public parks in city branding: Perceptions of visitors vis-à-vis residents in Hong Kong

This study develops an approach to measure the potential of public parks as a theme of resource for city branding. Brand potential connects with place brand equity, where familiarity, favourability and uniqueness are the three basic elements. This paper reveals the weak familiarity and favourability of the city brand especially expressed by locals and potential visitors. In Hong Kong, Marine Parks and the Geopark have a strong level of uniqueness, which indicates their potential to be distinctive attractions for green branding though perceptual divergence causes obstacles in realizing that potential.

Assessing managerial methods for evaluating place brand equity: A qualitative investigation

How DMO managers should evaluate success is a topic of much scholarly debate. Increasingly, there is a suggestion to integrate brand equity into place branding scholarship and practice, so this study aims to understand how DMO managers are using the construct, if at all. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 managers in a Southern U.S. state, and our results suggest that managers do not directly use consumer-based brand equity scales and instead use proxy measures that parallel with brand equity's components. We labeled these proxies revenue, web and social media analytics, benchmarking, and visibility. Problematically, managers do not link these proxies to mechanisms for creating brand equity. We suggest incorporating absorptive capacity as a way forward for managers to better link knowledge gathered with brand equity.

From brand equity to place brand equity and from there to the place brand

From brand equity to place brand equity and from there to the place brand

User-generated place brand equity on Twitter: The dynamics of brand associations in social media

Social media provides a unique opportunity for brand analysis. The mere fact that users create content and messages through social media platforms makes the detailed monitoring of temporal variation in brand images possible. This research analyzes data collected from a specific social media platform, Twitter, about the city of Stockholm over a 3-month period to analyze how social media could be conceptualized as a new venue for place brand meaning formation, and to see how user-generated content pertains to the issue of place brand equity. Using semantic and content analyses, assemblages of place brand-related themes are explored. Subsequently, these assemblages of themes are deconstructed at a conceptual level and then subjected to frequency analysis, revealing an underlying typology based on characteristics of the temporal variation of the various types of brand elements. These results are explored on the basis of both how they apply to the understanding of content on social media in general and how they apply to the online presence, or digital footprint, of place brands.

Measuring place brand equity with the advanced Brand Concept Map (aBCM) method

Places invest an extensive amount of taxpayers’ money into their branding activities. Consequently, there is an urgent need for a proper success measurement that can capture whether or not taxpayer money is being efficiently and effectively used to create place brand equity. Unfortunately, place brand equity (in general) and place brand image changes (in particular) are not easy to evaluate and even harder to quantify. This article demonstrates the utility of the advanced Brand Concept Map (aBCM) method for the aforementioned purpose. With the help of this particular method, practitioners can capture changes in image perception; and with the aid of the brand association network value (BANV) metric, they can also quantify the favorability of the brand image. Using an illustrative case involving the city of Hamburg, this article explores the relevance of the BANV metric and the aBCM method and then discusses practical implications.