Building a place brand from the bottom up

Abstract

In an increasingly competitive global marketplace, the need for towns and cities to create a unique identity, to differentiate themselves from competitors, has become critical. Many places promote spectacular scenery, good quality of life, friendly people, and a sound business infrastructure. However, these factors are no longer differentiators, so places need a strong brand identity to stand out in order to attract people to live, work, and play. But brand development is often driven by short-term topdown approaches with limited community participation, where the primary tool of brand expression becomes the final marketing campaign. This article reports on a qualitative approach to build a place brand from the bottom up, with wide participation from all members of the community. With a methodology based on place brand-building theory, charettes and in-depth interviews were conducted with local stakeholders, resulting in a positioning statement that was used to develop brand communications materials. Based on the research process and results of the case study, the authors present a community-based place brand development model.

City Branding, Sustainable Urban Development and the Rentier State. How Do Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai Present Themselves in the Age of Post Oil and Global Warming?

“…In practice, establishing a place branding strategy is often driven top-down by public administrators and materialized in a narrow-scope set of communication tactics to appeal to external, resourceful stakeholders [37]. City branding only seldom deploys the involvement of local citizens and stakeholders [29].…”

Sustainability in Overtouristified Cities? A Social Media Insight into Italian Branding Responses to Covid-19 Crisis

“…On one side, the selection of brand elements composing the brand identity is the core of the process [43], managed by key stakeholders in charge (e.g., destination management organization (DMO) and local authorities) which may adopt a more or less intense participative approach in the path of elements selections and elicitation [43][44][45]. Often through the design of a visual identity [41] and a communication plan, a brand promise is delivered into the market, as a defined and consistent message, in an attempt to impact the brand image [46][47][48]. On the other side, the process is intended as a cultural and social process steering interactions with many different stakeholders cocreating meanings [30], with the 'image in use' becoming a brand.…”

Tell me your story: Branding destinations through residents’ (place) stories

“…Despite the importance of residents in developing, communicating, and legitimizing the place (destination) brand, the multifaceted roles of residents in the destination branding process has been overlooked (Kavaratzis and Hatch, 2013; Stylidis et al, 2016), whereas visitors’ perceptions of the destination have received prioritized attention (Hudson et al, 2016). Research has shown that failing to involve residents in the branding process sometimes leads to conflicts as differences in brand images and/or identity amongst various stakeholders create tension and, in some cases, disengagement from the created brand identity (Zenker and Petersen, 2014).…”