You can’t govern if you don’t measure

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-565
Author(s):  
Magdalena Florek ◽  
Marta Herezniak ◽  
Anna Augustyn
Keyword(s):  
Measurement System ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Reliable Measurement ◽  
Potential Measurement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
City Brand ◽  
Measurement Framework ◽  
Brand Measurement

Purpose The purpose of the study is to verify the theoretical assumptions based on literature review regarding the issue of brand effectiveness evaluation and the potential measurement framework, as well as to provide insights into the nature of effectiveness measurement of city brand strategies. The findings are considered important foundations for designing a place branding measurement system, which is the next step and final purpose of the author’s research project. Design/methodology/approach A total of 12 international academic experts from eight countries (in four continents) were individually interviewed. A semi-structured individual interview was applied as a research method. Sampling was purposive and the respondents represented the fields of marketing, place branding and public management. The standardized set of 19 open-ended questions was categorized into four themes (city brand effectiveness, methodology, measurement process and indicators). Findings The measurement of effectiveness of city branding should be treated as a strategic endeavor; however, it is a complex issue where political, social and methodological challenges overlap. Barriers to the development of a well-functioning measurement system include: too narrow understanding of what brand is, lack of knowledge or culture of measurement, conflicting political interests, reluctance to involve internal stakeholders, insufficient funding and complexity of the brand itself. The reliable measurement system should be characterized by attributes such as simplicity and durability, stakeholder inclusion, political rationale, adjustment to the specificity of the city and the independence of the measuring body/institution. Originality/value Up-to-date, common standards or universal measurement frames of the place branding measurement system do not exist. No discussion can be found in the literature on how such a system should be designed and implemented. Opinions of the experts interviewed provide important insights into the components and conditions of the reliable measurement system that would meet both methodological standards and practical needs. Further studies and analyses are however necessary to eventually compose the optimal city brand measurement system.

scholarly journals Questioning a “one size fits all” city brand

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Zenker ◽  
Erik Braun
Keyword(s):  
Urban Policy ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
Target Group ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Target Groups ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
City Brand ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose City branding has gained popularity as governance strategy. However, the academic underpinning is still poor, and city branding needs a more critical conceptualization, as well as more complex management systems. This paper challenges the use of a “one size fits all” city brand, which is still common practice in many places. The paper proposes that city branding involves much more complexity than is commonly thought and outlines a strategy that enables urban policy-makers, marketing researchers and (place) marketers alike to better deal with city branding. Design/methodology/approach The authors integrate insights from literature on place branding, brand architecture and customer-focused marketing. Findings The article argues that place brands (in general and communicated place brands in particular) are by definition very complex, due to their different target groups, diverse place offerings and various associations place customers could have. Thus, an advanced brand management including target group-specific sub-brands is needed. Practical implications The model will be helpful for place brand managers dealing with a diverse target audience, and is likely to improve the target group-specific communication. Originality/value The paper provides an insight into the complexity of city brands and acknowledges that the perception of city brands can differ considerably among different target groups. Additionally, it offers a more comprehensive definition of place brands. This will be helpful for city brand managers and researchers alike in dealing with city brand complexity.

City brand strategy evaluation: in search of effectiveness indicators

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Herezniak ◽  
Justyna Anders-Morawska
Keyword(s):  
Public Management ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Brand Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
City Brand ◽  
Strategy Evaluation ◽  
Place Brand ◽  
The City

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse a process for developing indicators of effectiveness for the city brand strategy. Design/methodology/approach – A single-case study method is used as the analytical approach. The proposed indicators of effectiveness were developed in cooperation between the municipal government of a large, post-industrial Polish city and representatives from academia. Findings – The paper addresses three important considerations to be taken into account by city managers when they seek to develop criteria for measuring the effectiveness of branding: links between tangible and intangible effects of brand implementation; spillover effects that sectoral strategies such as those aimed at urban renewal have on the city brand and vice versa; and the adoption of a threefold temporal regime whereby the effects of projects that contribute to the brand strategy are measured in the short, medium and long term. Research limitations/implications – The proposed approach offers a useful point of departure for place managers for the design of place brand strategy evaluation systems. The study is limited to the case of a single city. Practical implications – The merger of brand management and public management perspectives re-evaluates the existing attempts to measure place brand strategy effectiveness. The new approach stimulates place authorities to consider multiple perspectives on the methods and instruments of measurement. It also implies the organisational shift where a number of units from the city hall coordinate their efforts to contribute to the assessment of the brand strategy. Social implications – A more systematic approach to measurement of place brand strategy effectiveness can be used to increase the level of legitimacy of brand-related activities in the eyes of internal stakeholders and to increase the level of professionalism among the public officers responsible for effectiveness measurement. Originality/value – Theoretical considerations and the practice of place branding alike tend to give insufficient attention to criteria for measuring the effectiveness of place-branding strategies. This paper concentrates on the process of translating general strategic objectives into specific, measureable and time-bound operational indicators. The combination of theoretical insights into place branding together with public management grounds this approach in the administrative environment in which local authorities work.

Art-event image in city brand equity: mediating role of city brand attachment

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 491-509
Author(s):  
Deepa Jawahar ◽  
Vinney Zephaniah Vincent ◽  
Anju Varghese Philip
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
City Brand ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Art Form ◽  
Tourism Product ◽  
Event Image

Purpose All touristic cities have their unique attributes to showcase and differentiate themselves from others. This distinctive attribute is the unique selling product or tourism product of a particular city. It could be an art form, culture, regional climate, food and festival. Literature indicates that the identity of the entire city would be affected by such tourism products. The purpose of this study is to analyse the influence of the ‘image’ of an Art-event to city branding. The study also examines the mediating role of ‘city attachment’ in the relationship between event image and city brand equity. Design/methodology/approach In all, 432 samples have been collected from visitors to one of the biggest contemporary art events in India – the “Kochi-Muziris Biennale – 2018,” conducted in the city of Cochin, situated in Kerala, the southernmost state of India. Findings Results show that the direct relationship between event image and city brand equity is stronger than the hypothesised path through the mediating role of city attachment. Research limitations/implications This study provides a better understanding of the event image and its importance in creating the host city’s brand equity. It contributes to both the practitioners and tourism researchers. Originality/value This study looks at the event image through functional and affective aspects and its influence on city attachment and city brand equity.

A deliberately emergent strategy – a key to successful city branding

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janne Lindstedt
Keyword(s):  
Place Branding ◽  
Place Identity ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emergent Strategy ◽  
Branding Strategies ◽  
Local Stakeholders ◽  
Place Brand

Purpose – The paper aims to address a neglected issue in the literature on place brand co-creation, namely, the strategic planning of the branding process. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates the benefits of a deliberately emergent strategy. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study focusing on Turku, Finland, supports the development of the argument. In this study, branding of Turku is examined both during the European Capital of Culture 2011 (ECoC) project and after it. Findings – The contribution of the ECoC 2011 project – which was widely perceived as a success – to Turku’s brand was based on a deliberately emergent strategy. Afterwards, the local government has, however, chosen a different approach to branding. Research limitations/implications – Given the increasing popularity of brand thinking among practitioners all over the world, it would be meaningful for scholars to pay more attention to the application of brand co-creation in place branding strategies. Practical implications – The deliberately emergent branding strategy could be considered an approach to applying the idea of brand co-creation in practice. It enables local stakeholders to make their voices heard and results in increased credibility of a branding process. Originality/value – Place brand co-creation has not yet been examined from strategic planning’s point of view. The need for this kind of examination is apparent, because branding strategies have traditionally been based on the idea of static place identity. The Turku case helps to propose a solution in terms of the notion of deliberately emergent branding.

The role of leadership and communication in internal city branding

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rico Piehler ◽  
Ayla Roessler ◽  
Christoph Burmann
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Branding ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Brand Commitment ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Brand Communication ◽  
Internal Branding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
City Brand ◽  
The City

Purpose This study aims to investigate the brand-oriented leadership of a city’s mayor and city online brand communication as brand management-related antecedents of residents’ city brand commitment. It thus examines if city brand managers can apply internal branding concepts from the corporate branding domain in a city branding context. Design/methodology/approach The relationships between the brand management-related antecedents and the internal city branding (ICB) objective are tested through structural equation modeling using cross-sectional survey data of 414 residents of a German city. Findings Both the brand-oriented leadership of the mayor in terms of acting as a role model by living the city brand and its identity and by showing commitment to the brand and the city’s online brand communication in terms of its quality have positive effects on residents’ city brand commitment. Moderation analyses reveal no significant differences between the path estimates for age, place of birth, duration of residency and education. However, the results differ significantly for gender. Research limitations/implications As this study’s sample is limited to only one city in Germany, further research needs to investigate the relationships in different cities and other countries to ensure the generalizability of the results. Future studies might also include other aspects of city brand communication, as well as cognitive and behavioural ICB objectives. Practical implications To increase residents’ city brand commitment, city brand managers should ensure that a city’s online brand communication is adequate, complete, credible, useful and clear. Furthermore, through creating awareness for the importance of a mayor’s brand-oriented leadership and through educating and training the mayor to engage in this specific form of brand-oriented transformational leadership, city brand managers can increase residents’ emotional attachment with the city brand. Originality/value This study integrates internal branding research from the corporate branding domain with place and city branding research. It confirms that certain aspects of internal branding (i.e. brand-oriented leadership, brand communication and brand commitment) are applicable not only in the corporate branding domain but also in other branding contexts such as city branding if adapted properly.

scholarly journals Intra-organizational brand resistance and counter-narratives in city branding – a comparative study of three Danish cities

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 1001-1018
Author(s):  
Marianne Wollf Lundholt ◽  
Ole Have Jørgensen ◽  
Bodil Stilling Blichfeldt
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Data ◽  
Political Support ◽  
The Political ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
City Brand ◽  
Counter Narratives ◽  
The City ◽  
Competition For Resources

Purpose This study aims to contribute to an increased understanding of intra-organizational city brand resistance by identifying and discussing different types of counter-narratives emerging from the political and administrative arenas. Design/methodology/approach The empirical material consists of secondary data as well as six in-depth semi-structured interviews with Danish mayors and city managers in three different municipalities in Denmark. Findings Intra-organizational counter-narratives differ from inter-organizational counter-narratives but resemble a number of issues known from extra-organizational resistance. Still, significant differences are found within the political arena: lack of ownership, competition for resources and political conflicts. Lack of ownership, internal competition for resources and distrust of motives play an important role within the administrative arena. Mayors are aware of the needs for continued political support for branding projects but projects are nonetheless realized despite resistance if there is a political majority for it. Research limitations/implications This study points to the implications of city brand resistance and counter-narratives emerging from the “inside” of the political and administrative arenas in the city, here defined as “intra-organizational counter-narratives”. Practical implications It is suggested that politicians and municipality staff should be systematically addressed as individual and unique audiences and considered as important as citizens in the brand process. Originality/value So far little attention has been paid to internal stakeholders within the municipal organization and their impact on the city branding process approached from a narrative perspective.

Interrogating place brand – a case of two cities

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 907-932
Author(s):  
Sanya Ojo
Keyword(s):  
Nation Branding ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
City Brand ◽  
Two Cities ◽  
Reverse Relationship ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Place Brand

Purpose This study aims to investigate the reverse effect of the country of origin’s reputation on the notion of place brand. Design/methodology/approach Using a case study methodology, cases of Lagos (Nigeria) and Dubai (UAE) are examined to generate a model of place brand/branding. Findings Three pathways of the flow of causality between nation brand and city brand were emphasised, and problematic themes of interest to focus are recommended as a way forward for aspiring cities to create and improve their global reputation to generate increased footfalls of visitors and investors. Practical implications It is possible for cities to create effective brands irrespective of the reputation (strong or weak) of their countries of origin. The implication of the reverse relationship between nation and city brand has the potential to expand the theoretical framework of a place brand. Originality/value The study’s uniqueness is in highlighting the different relations between nation branding and city branding that could guide practitioners in actualising a successful city brand project.

Green city branding: perceptions of multiple stakeholders

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 376-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui-Ju Wang
Keyword(s):  
Network Theory ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
City Brand ◽  
Associative Network ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Associative Network Theory ◽  
Brand Concept Maps ◽  
Green City

Purpose With society’s growing environmental concern, developing a green brand identity provides cities with opportunities to enhance their competitiveness. Nevertheless, few studies have explored green city branding and specifically considered the diverse perceptions of multiple stakeholders. Accordingly, this study aims to explore green city branding from the perceptions of multiple stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach Based on associative network theory, the study uses brand concept maps and network analysis approaches to construct and analyze the content and structure of mental models among local residents and foreign tourists for a green city brand. This study further seeks empirical support for the findings via a survey, using the sample case of Yilan County in Taiwan. Findings The results of this study reveal that foreign tourists possess a more diverse and heterogeneous brand perception than local residents. Additionally, the study uncovers significant green city brand associations regarding their influences on the behavioral decisions of local residents and foreign tourists. Originality/value This research is the first attempt to advance the knowledge of green city branding by empirically exploring the green city brand perceptions of multiple stakeholders based on associative network theory. The results provide brand researchers with different analytical perspectives on the existing knowledge about city brand perceptions and offer strategic information for city managers.

scholarly journals City branding and museum souvenirs: towards improving the St. Petersburg city brand

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iuliia Trabskaia ◽  
Iuliia Shuliateva ◽  
Rebecca Abushena ◽  
Valery Gordin ◽  
Mariya Dedova
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Visual Images ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
City Brand ◽  
Observation Method ◽  
The City ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify ways to develop museum shop product, which will possess competitive advantage, and to recommend what should be done to develop such product so that it has a positive impact on the city brand of St. Petersburg.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 76 museums have been studied through the observation method to describe their shops’ inventory in terms of percentages of each product. Mostly St. Petersburg museums were included in the analysis. The observation method enabled the researchers to analyse the inventory of the museum souvenir shops. The findings of the analysis enabled the researchers to reach conclusions about museums’ strategies of product development.FindingsThe research allowed to make the conclusion that although the museum shops in St.Petersburg demonstrate positive tendencies in the development of competitive stores’ products a lot of work is still to be done. Not all museums are characterised by availability of clear strategy for product development. They offer souvenirs (if any) which do not differ from those existing on the market according to topics and functions which are characteristic for them. Recommendations on how to make the product of museum shops more competitive were proposed.Practical implicationsCities need new and fresh ways to create and promote their brands. Museums can contribute to this significantly with the help of souvenirs production. This research will provide insight into the process of how museums can do this by developing their shops’ inventory strategies. Recommendations to improve strategies for creation of competitive product were offered in the paper.Originality/valueIn today’s competitive conditions, museums are creating augmented products and create museum shops. Nevertheless, the role of museum shops in brand creation is underexplored. Museum shops have a high potential for creating high-quality products that may influence the museum and city brand in a positive way, as souvenirs and visual images of museum artifacts play an essential role in making an impression on tourists.

SURABAYA SEBAGAI KOTA MARITIM : STRATEGI PEMASARAN CITY BRANDING DAN TANTANGAN DI MASA DEPAN

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Febrina Hambalah
Keyword(s):  
Marketing Strategy ◽  
Place Branding ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
City Branding ◽  
Social Construct ◽  
City Brand ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of ◽  
The City

In today's digital era, each city is competing with another city. Each city features uniqueness that can be highlighted from him, all of it is to attract funding from investors. The ultimate goal is to improve the welfare of the city. Surabaya has been known by the people of Indonesia through the history of Indonesian independence as The City of Heroes. However, the identity as The City of Heroes is not yet strong enough to attract investment and the interest of tourists to invest in this city of Surabaya. Thus a new identity, in this case new branding must be made in order to strengthen the position of Surabaya before the eyes of the community both internal communities within the city of Surabaya, as well as external communities outside the city of Surabaya and abroad.The research method that was used is descriptive qualitative method. This method is by doing observation and analysis of marketing strategy of city branding which have been done by Surabaya city. This scientific work was developed by using literature review approach or literature study.In this research noted that the process of building a city brand is not easy. Especially if the parties involved have a political interest in it. As a social construct, city branding of the city of Surabaya as a city of Maritime will certainly generate various responses from the community. The response can be a positive response, as well as a negative response. Keywords: City Branding, Marketing Strategy, Place Branding

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