Putting people back into Place Branding

LECTURE AND WORKSHOP

WEEK nine
Purpose of Prep session:

• What do we mean by place

branding?

• What are some of the challenges for

tourism practitioners?

• Who else is involved in the process?

• How can we make place branding

more inclusive? IMAGE: Unsplash.com
 Lecture Overview:

• Part One: Definitions and concepts

in Place Branding
Do we risk ‘McDonalidsation’ of places and
are logos enough?
• Moving toward a participatory
approach of place branding

IMAGE: Unsplash.com
DEFINITIONS AND CONCEPTS

WHAT IS PLACE BRANDING? HOW

IS IT DIFFERENT TO TRADITIONAL
BRANDING? WHAT ARE SOME OF
THE COMMON CONCEPTS AND
TERMS USED? CAN WE COMPARE IMAGE: Unsplash.com

PLACES THIS WAY?

Traditional branding: Products
and services

• Brand defined as “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a

combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of
one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of
other sellers” (American Marketing Association, 2009)
• Symbol of identification and differentiation of goods and services - get
the edge against competitors
• Creation of value
• Clusters of meanings
• A promise
• Culture
• Relational – move towards beyond a two-way relationship between the
brand and the consumer

IMAGE: Unsplash.com
PLACE BRANDING :

• Umbrella term: includes

nations, regions, cities,
destinations
• Communication and
promotion of products and
services in a ‘place’
• Build a competitive identity
• Crosses public, voluntary
and private sectors … and
much more!
• Recognition through to
emotional responses

(Keller et al., 2012) IMAGE: Unsplash.com

Definitions:

Place branding
• “A place brand is a network of associations in the place
consumers’ mind based on the visual, verbal, and behavioural
expression of a place and its’ stakeholders. These associations
differ in their influence within the network and in importance
for the place consumers’ attitude and behaviour”
(Zenker and Braun, 2017)

Creation of a distinctive identity that distinguishes

individual cities and creates a positive image in the
stakeholders’ minds
(Kavaratzis and Ashworth, 2005)
What makes a ‘place brand’
IMAGE: PERCEIVED
• Reputation
• Set of impressions about a particular
place
• Functional (tangible) and psychological
(abstract) characteristics that are
attribute based (specific measurable
elements) or holistic
• Can be specific to the location or
commonly applicable
• Creates an attitude toward the place
IMAGE: PROJECTED
• Communicated
• What people are saying
• Can be through word of mouth or
official channels: marketing
communication campaigns; place
marketers, private businesses,
financial institutions
• Offline and online
(Place Brand Observer, 2019)
Measuring and comparing place brands

• Nation Brand Index

• Measured annually since 2005
• Measures the reputation and image of world’s
nations
• 20,000 people surveyed annually
• Across 20 countries
• 40 questions about their perceptions of 50
countries
• Ranks based on ‘nation brand hexagon’,
includes tourism (level of interest in visiting),
exports, governance, investment and
immigration, culture and heritage (includes
music, art, literature, etc.), and people (e.g.
openness and friendliness)
• Also a City Brand Index

(Anholt, 2005;
https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/19-05-50_Anholt_v2
What makes a ‘place brand’

IDENTITY
• Internal
• Essence
• Sense of place (experience)
• Constructed through historical,
economical, political, religious, social
and cultural features of the place
• Values
• Distinctive characteristics and meaning

(Place Brand Observer, 2019)

What values would you associate with
Cardiff?
ACTIVITY: Spend five
minutes considering the
values and elements
you would associate
with Cardiff?

IMAGE: Unsplash.com
PLACE BRAND AS AN EXPERIENCE

Experiential offering: experiencing

the sense of place ‘Disneyification’
• Link to “Imagineering” – recreate
• Senses (seeing, smelling, hearing, feeling,
the environment and managing
tasting) interactions with visitors and
• Memories and imagination ‘experience networks’ (public and
• Emotions private parties involved in the place
brand offering; e.g. accommodation
• Actions (active or passive observations) providers, attractions, visitor
• Social interactions centres, ancillary services, residents)
• Staged

(Place Brand Observer, 2019)

BUILDING A PLACE BRAND – THE ‘CLAIMS’

Bringing together: Five principles:

• The identity Communication is key: • Distinctiveness: what makes
(sense of place) • Develop real actions your place unique?
• Diverse range of and policy initiatives • Authenticity: connection to
that support the identity and sense of place
products and
claims • Memorable: what makes it
services stick in your ‘mind and
• The experience • Encourage heart’
of visitors cooperation and look • Co-creation: move away
for common ground from top-down approaches
• Perceptions • “Actions speak • Placemaking: support with
and images louder than words”
action
already held https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9igyCA1E0c&feature=youtu.be
(Place Brand Observer, 2019)
A WEB OF BRANDS

• Unique and complex

• Place branding more than one thing; DMO vs more
general perspective
• Place brand architecture – portfolios of brands
existing in a hierarchy
• Bringing together people and institutions – managing
relationship
• Crosses administrative bodies, as well as cultural,
sporting, leisure, historical and other perceptual
entities
• Need to consider the physical assets and
experiences; visual identity; role of leadership; and
involve and collaborate with people
IMAGE: Unsplash.com
• Co-branding – unified and coherent place brand
(Hanna and Rowley, 2015)
• Need for bottom-up approaches
• Look for shared resonance
The ‘reality’ - Are logos and slogans enough?

- The logo designed by Milton Glaser for New

York’s Economic Development Corporation
first appeared in 1977
- ‘Scrappy logo’ for a ‘scrappy city’
- Not just a logo but also conveys the spirit
of New York

Glaser: Courtesy of Milton Glaser Studio; Keychains: Getty Images

Melbourne branding campaign
Logo as the “mental shortcut”
supported by a wider campaign

Multi-stage from planning to

delivery:
1) Investigation - research
2) Identification – core brand idea
3) Design and creation – logos
through to communication
4) Implementation - guidelines
Landor (2010)
https://landor.com/thinking/rebranding-the-city-of-melbourne

10 years on: was it a success?

https://www.visualfizz.com/blog/bra
nding-a-city-melbourne-australia/
 New Zealand branding campaign

100% Pure New Zealand:

- Link to the country’s reputation as

clean and green
- Emphasis on nature and the
countryside

- “Essence of what New Zealand is

about”

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Atf_Af1q_5w

- https://www.tourismnewzealand.c
om/media/1544/pure-as-celebrati
ng-10-years-of-100-pure-new-zeala
Denver

Sits exactly 5,280 feet

(one mile) above sea
level

https://www.denver.org/about-denver/denver-resources/denver-glance/
 Iamamsterdam: success or failure?
Introduced in 2004 after two years of
planning

Branded a success story but out of

touch with local residents

Criticisms for role in over-tourism

and ego-centric version of the city

800,000 residents – 12m visitors

6000 selfies a day

Removed in 2018

https://www.insider.com/a Only gentrified areas included in the

msterdam-sign-removed-for- branding strategy
being-too-individualistic-201
8-12
moving toward a participatory approach

WHAT IS A PARTICIPATORY
APPROACH? WHO IS INVOLVED? HOW
ARE THEY INVOLVED? WHAT THIS
MEAN FOR PLACES?
Place branding as a process

• Not just an outcome but the ‘making’ of the place brand

• Focuses on stakeholders
• Not a choice but a necessity
• Plan involvement at every stage
• Online and digital changes
• Failure of approaches that only focus on
communication or managerial decision-making –
instead participation
• Claims to involve versus reality of continued top-down approaches
• Place branding as ongoing, complex and dynamic
• Public management and governance
• “Inclusive and democratic place branding”
(Kavaratzis, 2012)
IMAGE: Unsplash.com
Involving people in the place: internal

Visitor
attractions
Regeneration
DMOs
organisations

Sporting
Universities
organisations

Entrepreneurs
Internal Workers

Government Lobby groups

Local
Businesses
authorities
Involving people in the place: external?

Investors

Prospective Prospective
residents students

Trade bodies
External Workers

Funders Visitors

Governments
and nations
 Place branding Integrated process

Cannot look at the tangible without considering the

people

Not one single fixed aspect

Looking at the identity and image combined

Connection to each other and the people they

represent

Material and human

IMAGE: Unsplash.com

Strategic approach to improving a place’s image,

which considers place materiality, institutions, Kavaratzis & Kalandides
practices and representations together (2015)
References:

Anholt, S. 2005. Some important distinctions in place branding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 1(2): 116-21.

Braun, E, et al. 2013. My city–my brand: the different roles of residents in place branding. Journal of Place Management and Development, pp.18-28.

Hanna, S. and Rowley, J. 2015. Towards a model for the place brand web. Tourism Management, 24, pp.100-112.

Kalandides, A., 2012. Place branding and place identity. An integrated approach. Tafter Journal, 43(1), p.5.

Kavaratzis, M. and Ashworth, G. 2015. Hijacking culture: the disconnection between place culture and place brands. Town Planning Review 86(2), pp.155-176.

Kalandides, A and Kavaratzis, M (2015) doi:10.1177/0308518X15594918 Rethinking the place brand: the interactive formation of place brands and the role of
participatory place branding. Environment and Planning, volume 47, pages 1368–1382

Kavaratzis, M. 2012. From ‘necessary evil’ to necessary stakeholders: stakeholders’ involvement in place branding. Journal of Place Management and
Development 5(1), pp.7-19.

Keller, K.L., Parameswaran, M.G. and Jacob, I., 2011. Strategic brand management: Building, measuring, and managing brand equity. Pearson Education India.

Lucarelli, A. and Giovanardi, M. 2016. The political nature of brand governance: a discourse analysis approach to a regional brand building process. Journal of
Public Affairs, 16(1), pp.16-27.

Zenker, S. and Braun, E. 2017. Questioning a “one size fits all” city brand: Developing a branded house strategy for place brand management. Journal of Place
Management and Development, 10(3), pp.270-287.

Websites:

Institute of Place Management: https://www.placemanagement.org/

Landor (2010) https://landor.com/thinking/rebranding-the-city-of-melbourne