Power struggles and playing politics: An application of Bourdieu's cultural intermediation theory to place marketing

Warren, Giannina; Dilmperi, Athina; Dinnie, Keith

doi:10.1016/j.annals.2021.103276

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Rallying together to respond to the pandemic fostered relationships and a sense of community (Björner and Aronsson, 2022; Stevens et al , 2021). Combined these transitions afforded place branding actors additional scope for agency building by accumulating legitimacy for themselves (Reynolds et al , 2022; Warren et al , 2021) and for the wider remit of engagement tools and everyday exchanges that they use.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Warren and Dinnie (2018) point to the influence of place promoters as cultural intermediaries drawing on their social and cultural capital to shape the place branding fields. Warren et al (2021) investigate how place promoters negotiate legitimacy and influence over policy and promotional outcomes. Reynolds et al (2022) investigate how multiple groups compete for legitimacy, showing how potential participatory gains are often countered by those equipped with the resource and knowledge to renavigate the place branding fields.…”

Section: Antecedents Of Actor Agencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To better understand why differences in participation prevail, studies have begun to explore actor agency and the ways in which it can be gained and lost across the place branding process. An emerging thread appearing across a number of these studies is a focus on actors’ capacity to obtain and advance legitimacy for their claims (Pedeliento and Kavaratzis, 2019; Reynolds et al , 2022; Warren et al , 2021). Studies observe a tendency to favour top-down notions of legitimacy, attributed to those actors and activities aligned with top-down brand ownership (Pedeliento and Kavaratzis, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID-19 and the participatory place branding impasse: a study of actor agency

Reynolds¹

2023

JPMD

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Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on participatory place branding processes and, in particular, on multiple actors’ ability to build agency. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth qualitative inquiry of place branding processes in Cardiff (UK) was undertaken during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured (online) interviews with 28 city representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors are analysed using three-stage conceptual coding. Findings Five transitions in the meaning-making and engagement processes at the nexus of participatory place branding are identified: heightening value of the local environment; building and sharing local knowledge; embedding a sense of community into relational networks; innovating engagement channels; and blurring of roles and responsibilities. Combined, these demonstrate a cultivating place (brand) attachment and evolving logics around participation. Research limitations/implications Transitions in actor agency require monitoring over time, drawing on additional studies, wider samples and multidisciplinary frameworks. Practical implications Local knowledge and multi-actor networks are increasingly viewed as valuable assets, providing legitimacy for those in possession of these resources and for the brand. Practitioners, policy makers and community representatives should support innovative ways to involve and learn from local actors, including those not currently active across the place brand web. Originality/value Antecedents to actor agency are investigated, highlighting that during a period of disruption actors gained legitimacy for their participation by emphasising the value attached to localities, building place (brand) attachment and drawing on blurred place branding boundaries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Antecedents Of Actor Agencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID-19 and the participatory place branding impasse: a study of actor agency

Reynolds¹

2023

JPMD

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“…Recent theoretical advancement on the socio-cultural implications of the work of city branding has focused on city marketers as cultural intermediaries, who operate by exerting social and cultural forms of capital as legitimating forces, building credibility for their position in policy-value chains and influencing policy decisions in non-systemic ways (Reynolds et al , 2022; Warren et al , 2021; Warren and Dinnie, 2018). This positioning confers upon them a greater degree of power as the “boundary spanners” and relationship-holders among key stakeholder groups, thus playing an important role in the broader strategic brand and policy endeavour that occurs during normal times (Rinaldi et al , 2021).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One way to do this is by examining the professional practices and processes used by marketing and tourism practitioners, who largely shoulder the responsibility of communicating with target audiences, working closely with city stakeholders and managing the message that the city was open for business. Recent scholarship has framed these actors as “cultural intermediaries” who hold positions of symbolic power, enacting forms of social and cultural capital that bestow upon them a legitimacy as taste-makers, influencers and “professionals of qualification” in a city’s policy value chain (Bourdieu, 1984; Smith Maguire and Matthews, 2014; Warren et al , 2021; Warren and Dinnie, 2018). The work performed by these professionals is largely communicative and promotional in nature; the power they hold over the urban landscape is largely discursive, relational and reputational.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging social capital to catalyse post-pandemic anti-fragility: the “Vilnius model”

Warren,

Grigaliūnaitė

2023

JPMD

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Purpose This paper aims to delve into the interdependent connection between place branding and social capital, specifically focusing on how it contributes to uniting a city’s recovery efforts during times of crisis. By using the theoretical frameworks of social capital and cultural intermediation, the case study of Vilnius, Lithuania, exemplifies how cities can navigate through turbulent periods by prioritising the work of place marketers and their relationships in their strategic approach. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative, mixed method case study approach used four different methods of investigation, drawing on multiple sources of evidence, including a mix of interviews with key actors, content analysis, netnography and participant observation. Findings Go Vilnius, in collaboration with the City of Vilnius Municipality, leveraged existing stakeholder relationships and a strong common identification among political actors, promotional intermediaries, residents and city institutions to not only adapt to the unfolding crisis but to evolve its marketing, place-making, tourism and community engagement strategies to emerge as a more resilient, dynamic and animated city after the pandemic. Practical implications This case study demonstrates that a “network constellation” approach centralised around key stakeholder relationships held by marketing, tourism and promotional professionals is a crucial component in urban post-pandemic and emergency planning. Social implications By placing marketing professionals at the heart of crisis planning, cities can capitalise on the inherent social capital that is their key occupational resource and leverage their relationships with residents, the business community, international collaborators and the media for swift and maximum impact. Originality/value By identifying the “network constellations” that facilitated the institutionalisation of place branding activities in the face of both a local and global shutdown, this paper positions place marketers, acting as cultural intermediaries, at the centre of crisis planning and prevention strategies for anti-fragile cities of the post-pandemic future.

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