Place Branding, Nation Branding

Un lenguaje visual para las ciudades (A visual language for the cities)

by Carmen Virginia Grisolía

Published in Foroalfa.org

La omnipresencia del diseño gráfico en el acontecer diario de las ciudades lo convierte en parte de la misma ciudad,... more La omnipresencia del diseño gráfico en el acontecer diario de las ciudades lo convierte en parte de la misma ciudad, de sus habitantes y, en consecuencia, de su identidad.

(Graphic design has an omnipresence role in everyday life for a city. This fact makes it part of the city itself, of its inhabitants and, in  consequence, of its reality).

Territories, Brands and Competitiveness: The Minho region and its international promotion

by Eduardo Oliveira

Trabalho realizado sob a orientação do

Professor Doutor José Carlos Pinho
e da
Professora Doutora Cláudia Simões

Key-words: Marketing, Brands, Network, Territory, Competitiveness, Minho region

(Portuguese language)

Territories, such as countries, regions and cities, compete with other geographical areas in order
to attract... more Territories, such as countries, regions and cities, compete with other geographical areas in order
to attract investments, markets, businesses, residents, tourists, talents and entrepreneurs, as
well as the hosting of cultural and sporting events. 
This process is intensified with the growth of internationalization and globalization. These
territories need to identify the opportunities and strengths to achieve competitive advantages for
efficient access to markets, resources and people. A clear definition of place branding, developed
in a consistent, cooperative way with stakeholders and as a product of a cooperative network
between local, regional and national stakeholders, can promote the production base, increasing
the touristic and human resource flows. Investors, citizens of different nationalities, students and
researchers take part of this flow. Place branding is a new trend in marketing and territorial or
destination marketing research. Place branding is a powerful tool available to academics and
professionals who dedicate their research to promoting geographical units in place management.
Place branding is an important concept in today’s competitive world when nations are competing
for tourists, consumers, donors, immigrants, the media and governments of other countries. 
The aim of this master’s thesis is to understand how the social and economic agents or place
stakeholders should coordinate the activities to increase competitiveness and reputation in a
context of internationalization. In this case study we applied seven semi-structured interviews to
seven different economic and social stakeholders of the Minho region, northeast of Portugal.
The interview guide has been prepared keeping in mind the determinants of competitiveness of
Michael Porter, and according to the six dimensions of The Nation Brand Hexagon of Simon
Anholt, an index to measure the  power and appeal of the image  of countries as brands, here
adapted to the Minho region. We summarize the main results of the interviews with one SWOT
analysis. The results indicate that the Minho region should seek to attract foreign investment,
bearing in mind the availability of excellent infrastructure and facilities for teaching and research,
promoting itself as a region of knowledge and innovation.

Define-Visualize-Measure- Using Network Analysis in Place Branding

by Efe Sevin

Paper presented at the Special Edition of the International Place Branding Conference, Utrecht, Netherlands, January 2012

Purpose:
This article argues that a robust measurement system for place branding should include an explicit... more Purpose:
This article argues that a robust measurement system for place branding should include an explicit definition of the concept, a roadmap for gathering and analyzing data, and a method for summarizing and reporting its findings. Current measurement scales tend to focus more on the last step, and do not necessarily consider the conceptualization of ‘place brands’ or adopt compatible research methods. Therefore, it is possible to question the validity and reliability of their findings. This research aims to overcome fundamental conceptual obstacles faced by existing place brandings scales by introducing a multi- theoretical multilevel (MTML) network analysis and semantic analysis.
Design/methodology/approach:
The first part of the article deconstructs three of the prominent place branding indices (Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index, FutureBrand Country Brand Index, and East-West Nation Brand Perception Index) and argues that they do not necessarily have construct validity. Subsequently, the author proposes a two-step analysis to evaluate place brands. The initial step uses a social network analysis with an MTML approach to do audience analysis and identify main stakeholders. The second step creates a semantic map of a place’s brand. In order to argue for the feasibility of the proposed methods, a sample dataset is created based on tweets about Boston and New York City.
Findings:
In this article, the author adheres to the understanding of place brand as a network of associations in consumers’ minds. This is why a measurement scale should try to understand ‘who says what’ about a given place. Accordingly, brands should be solely evaluated based on mapping these associations and consumers. Therefore, a semantic network analysis, and a social network analysis should be carried out to assess a place’s brand and to identify stakeholders.
Practical implications:
The findings of this research could be used in analyzing place brands. It is possible to use the proposed methods in measuring success in place branding campaigns.
Originality/value:
This research points out an important uncertainty in the literature in terms of construct validity, and proposes a novel method to compensate for the gap in the literature.
Keywords: place branding, measurement, network analysis, semantic analysis

Thinking about place branding: Ethics of concept

by Efe Sevin

Sevin, E. (2011). Thinking about place branding: Ethics of concept. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 7, 155-164. doi:10.1057/pb.2011.15

This article introduces a critical theory-induced approach to the concept of place branding to expose the ethical... more This article introduces a critical theory-induced approach to the concept of place branding to expose the ethical drawbacks within the field. The author argues that the dominant approaches and definitions of place branding limit the thinking of scholars to market-driven subjects, such as measurement, effectiveness and strategies. It is difficult even to discuss ethical issues at a conceptual level within these approaches. With an attempt to further investigate these widely ignored issues, place branding is redefined through a communicative action framework, and a two-step model of place branding is devised – composed of domestic communicative action (Step 1) and international communicative action (Step 2). Step 1 highlights (i) legitimacy and (ii) inclusion as ethical concerns, whereas Step 2 brings in the question of (iii) consistency between the messages in the domestic and international arena. Critical theory makes it possible to take an analytical look at the mainstream approaches and present ethical issues at the conceptual level. Future studies should aim to integrate this theoretical approach to the practice of place branding.

Η Οικονομική Κρίση και η Εικόνα της Ελλάδας,

by Athanassios N. Samaras

Συνέντευξη του Αθ. Ν. Σαμαρά στον Κώστα Βενιζέλο για την Εφημερίδα Φιλελεύθερος της Κύπρου.

Country-Branding als Identitätsmetapher

by Joan Ramon Rodriguez-Amat

Toponymic dependence research and its possible contribution to the fi eld of place branding

by Laura Kostanski

Place Branding and Public Diplomacy (2011) 7, 9 – 22.

The researcher set out to investigate whether people form dependencies with toponyms (place names) in similar ways to... more The researcher set out to investigate whether people form dependencies with toponyms (place names) in similar ways to which dependencies can be formed with places. It has been found that while people are dependent on a place to provide particular facilities, people and governments are also dependent on toponyms to provide particular branding requirements. The theory of toponymic dependence has been developed and this article outlines how toponymic dependence is determined by the ability of a toponym to provide a unique representation, or branding opportunity, of a place. This article provides the
framework for future publications, which assess the adequacy of past government place branding proposals, and discusses the importance of considering the construct of place dependence when developing place branding campaigns.

Global competitiveness versus community identity: Can culture be the answer to managing this uneasy balance in towns and cities?

by Andres Coca-Stefaniak

Editorial article published in Journal of Town and City Management (http://www.henrystewart.com/jtcm.aspx)

City management partnerships as shapers of urban strategy and providers of cost-effective solutions to local problems

by Andres Coca-Stefaniak

Editorial article published in Journal of Town and City Management (http://www.henrystewart.com/jtcm.aspx)

“Desti–Nation Branding”: what for? From the notions of tourism and nation branding to an integrated framework

by Antonios Giannopoulos

Giannopoulos, A. A., Piha P. L., Avlonitis, G. J., The Berlin International Economics Congress 2011: An International Conference on the Future of Nation Branding, Tourism and International Investments in a Globalized World & Cultural Diplomacy in the Global Economy: A Forum for Young Leaders (CDEC), Berlin, Germany, 09-15 March 2011.