Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the transition of a place brand identity from a cultural anthropological perspective. More specifically, the paper analyses the ritual features and magical qualities of the development process of a regional brand in Scandinavia. Design/methodology/approach The study consists of an exploratory, longitudinal single case study of regional branding. An abductive research design was used in which the data, consisting of qualitative interviews, policy and promotional documents, were analysed with an interpretive approach. Findings Three place branding rituals of re-naming, managing ambiguity and instilling faith are identified as central in the transition process. These practices generate different forms of magic that facilitate transition and accommodate change. Research limitations/implications The study suggests that the theoretical lens of the anthropological concept of the rite of passage is useful to capture the mechanisms and practices of the transition from an old to a new place brand identity. Practical implications The approach outlined in this paper is relevant for brand development and planning in that it demonstrates the ritual features and magical qualities of branding. In contrast to the linear step-by-step approach to brand planning, the study visualises brand development as overlapping phases in a process. Originality/value The study demonstrates the value of anthropological insights into transition rituals for understanding how change is alleviated in the development of place brands.

Her research areas include place branding, visual studies, digital media and consumer research.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how the mediatisation of terror attacks affects the brand image of tourism cities. Design/methodology/approach Informed by theories of mediatisation and space, the study analyses two different types of terror attacks in Sweden during 2017 as media events. The focus of analysis is on identifying spatial and temporal patterns that underpin the narrative rhythm of the discussions of the events on Twitter and online news platforms. Findings The findings demonstrate that the unfolding of the events can be divided into three phases of varying intensity in rhythm and implications for city brand image. The manifestation of an imaginary terror attack in a digital environment had a greater impact on the narratives of the city than an actual one. Research limitations/implications Rythmanalysis is introduced as a useful device to examine how urban space is mediatised through social media and online news flows. Originality/value The study contributes with novel knowledge on the mediatisation of city space on digital media platforms in a post-truth world. It shows that city administrations need to deal with both real and imaginary terror attacks, especially when there is an already established negative image of the city.

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Resilience in tourism studies has mainly departed from a socio-ecological system-theory approach and has developed knowledge in relation to different tourism contexts. This approach has consequences for the conceptualization of resilience and sets limits. Calls for theory development on resilience see a need to take account of, for instance, politics and power relations, and conflicts over resources. As a response to this call, this conceptual article discusses the ontological underpinnings of resilience in tourism studies from an interdisciplinary approach and argues for a media place approach to resilience. From a general socio-ecological system approach a tourist place is ontologically constituted as a subject with clear boundaries even if it has interactions, relations, and dependencies. The tourism place is therefore constituted as a fixed entity in its essence, even if equilibriums can be positioned differently. However, tourism resilience is a complex issue that calls for additional perspectives. The proposed interdisciplinary media place approach follows changes and dependencies between mediatization of tourism places and changes in the resilience of tourism places. The role of mediatization and its significance for changes in places are put at the centre of the analysis. The approach assumes that a tourist place is constituted as a verb that is constantly created and recreated in a process. Additionally, resilience in places must also be conceptualised ontologically as a fluid concept that evolves over time. To understand sudden and long-term changes in tourism place resilience, special attention must be given to nodes or flows of information that connect the media systems and constitute places. Further, the article concludes that resilience is moulded by the politics of media practices. An interdisciplinary approach brings new answers to complex questions that cannot be solved from a single disciplinary perspective.