The political nature of brand governance: a discourse analysis approach to a regional brand building process

Abstract

The present paper takes the empirical phenomenon of place branding as an appropriate point of view to understand the communicative process of brand governance in the realm of the public. The paper explores the modalities through which a brand governance emerges as a negotiated and contested mechanism reproduced through language. By drawing on the analytical approach of interpretative repertoires, the analysis demonstrates that a process of governance can be seen as a 'text' in a constant state of negotiation in which the level of involvement in the brand building process can be discursively contested, with language illustrating the ways in which different actors express their positionalities (hegemonic or subalternate). The analysis suggests that this can be seen as a power political process in which politics of space and time are expressed linguistically by the different actors involved in brand governance.

Economic City Branding in China: the Multi-Level Governance of Municipal Self-Promotion in the Greater Pearl River Delta

“…City branding as a topic has been debated in a variety of disciplines, especially in public policy [10][11][12][13], marketing [14][15][16][17] and political economy [18]. Recent books also deal with city branding in an interdisciplinary way [19][20][21][22][23][24], whereas a more specific and singular focus on the nature of city branding as an entrepreneurial strategy for cities is offered by some scholars [8,18].…”

“…City branding is considered a response to intensified inter-urban competition [11,12,40,41]. However, city branding practices are complex, due to the variety of rationales behind the brands and the context these brands are embedded in [42].…”

Transformative roles of people and places: learning, experiencing, and regenerative action through social innovation

“…Participatory and creative visual methods are considered an appropriate way to unveil diverse, multi-layered, and sensorial narratives of place and place practices as well as varied values and meanings attached to it. Such approaches can serve as an alternative that respects the complexity, social fabric, geography, and socio-political contexts of people and places (Lucarelli and Giovanardi 2014;Rebelo et al 2019).…”

“…In research, participatory visual methods help to elicit memories, emotions, and tacit cultural knowledge (McDougall 2011). Narratives or story telling as a methodological framework can empower individuals, communities, and networks, and serve as an alternative that respects the complexity, social fabric, geography, and socio-political contexts of people and places (Lucarelli and Giovanardi 2014). It can, therefore, be argued that participatory visual methods can serve as a powerful approach not only to understand peoples' sense of place and multisensorial experiences of places, but also to engage them into meaningful reflections (re)negotiations and possible regenerative actions and, indeed, practices of social innovation.…”

La sociedad postmoderna de Bauman: Entre la transparencia y la vacuidad

“…Paradójicamente, cada vez más lo público-político adopta semejanzas con lo privado-comercial, cuestionando la clásica dicotomía planteada por Bobbio (1989) entre lo público y lo privado, pues en ambos marcos predomina la marketinización bajo el paradigma relacional orientado al stakeholder engagement (Grönroos, 2006). Esta 'colonización' de la escena pública por parte de la filosofía del marketing, da como resultado una gobernanza 'marketinizada' (Lucarelli y Giovanardi, 2016). Bienvenidos a los tiempos de la 'branded public governance' (Eshuis y Klijn, 2012).…”