Integrated Approach for Place Management

Abstract

In the last decade, the number of cities claiming to make use of branding has grown considerably. Competition is one of the main drivers for cities to develop their position as a brand and promote tourists, investors, businesses and residents to that area. Unfortunately, location marketers also assume that the location brand is a communication instrument that is controllable and entirely manageable. However, by definition, a brand is a network of associations in the minds of customers and is thus focused on the preferences of the various target groups, making branding a multi-faceted topic. In addition, given the diverse perspectives and interests of the different target groups, the perception of a location (brand) can differ significantly. Therefore, the theory of place branding as well as practice should concentrate more on the perception of the location brand of its various target audiences and develop strategies for how locations can build advantageous place-brand architecture.