My city – my brand: the different roles of residents in place branding

Abstract

Purpose -This paper deals with the importance of residents within place branding. It examines the different roles that residents play in the formation and communication of place brands and explores the implications for place brand management.Design/methodology/approach -The paper is based on theoretical insights drawn from the combination of the distinct literatures on place branding, general marketing, tourism, human geography, and collaborative governance. To support its arguments, the paper discusses the participation of citizens in governance processes as highlighted in the urban governance literature as well as the debate among marketing scholars over participatory marketing and branding.Findings -The paper arrive at three different roles played by the residents: (1) as an integral part of the place brand through their characteristics and behavior; (2) as ambassadors for their place brand who grant credibility to any communicated message and (3) as citizens and voters who are vital for the political legitimization of place branding. These three roles make the residents a very significant target group of place branding.Originality/value -Residents are largely neglected by place branding practice and that their priorities are often misunderstood, even though they are not passive beneficiaries but are active partners and co-producers of public goods, services and policies. This paper highlights that only meaningful participation and consultation can produce a more effective and sustainable place branding strengthening the brand communication and avoiding the pitfall of developing 'artificial' place brands.

Branding the destination versus the place: The effects of brand complexity and identification for residents and visitors

“…When residents are satisfied, they can function as place ambassadors (Palmer et al, 2013). Braun et al (2013) also highlight the role of citizens in the legitimization of place planning and development in general. However, tourism research has devoted considerably more attention to residents' attitudes towards tourists (as individuals) and tourism planning (Sharpley, 2014;Wang & Xu, 2015) than their perceptions of a place and how those might affect touristic goals.…”

“…However, little attention has been paid to how place branding (including destination branding) affects both tourists and residents (with the exception of Palmer et al, 2013), especially in light of targeting both groups simultaneously (Hanna & Rowley, 2015;Zenker & Beckmann, 2012). In practice, place marketers try to promote the place to tourists and residents at the same time, aiming to strengthen the current residents' identification with the place and thereby transform them into authentic place ambassadors (Braun, Kavaratzis, & Zenker, 2013;Palmer et al, 2013;Zenker & Petersen, 2014). Unfortunately, place and destination marketers often underestimate the difficulties of establishing a place brand (targeting both, tourists and residents alike) by using simplified, corporate branding strategies, since places are highly complex with a great variety of target audiences.…”

Demand- and supply-side perspectives of city branding: A qualitative investigation

“…However, city branding research emphasizes a top-down branding strategy bias placing city planners at the top and from where researchers study their roles as influencers of local stakeholders' brand perceptions (Kavaratzis, 2004). If stakeholder buy-in is critical to realize a city's brand aspirations (Braun, Kavaratzis, & Zenker, 2013), an even more critical concern should be whether there is and should be congruence between the supply and demand sides of city brand visions. In 4 4 other words, do demand and supply side visions converge on critical indices such as the envisioned future for the city brand?…”

Skopje: Rebranding the Capital City through Architecture and Monuments to Remake the Nation Brand

“…Most of the literature conceives nation branding as apolitical marketing strategy or a "post-ideological" form of reputation management for nations that targets external markets rather than an inner-orientated culturalpolitical measure that targets citizens of the national state (Kaneva, 2011;Varga, 2013). Furthermore, Aronczyk (2007) Braun et al (2013), residents can be vital participants in the place branding process. In this sense, Anholt (2007) emphasizes the importance of living the nation brand and "getting everybody in the country to speak with one voice" (Anholt, 2007:31).…”