Branding cities, regions and countries: the roadmap of place brand equity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is two-fold: to expand the understanding of brand equity for places (e.g. countries, regions or cities) and propose two frameworks to increase its value. Design/methodology/approach By interviewing international participants, this study was exploratory and interpretative; thematic analysis was performed for a broader understanding about place brand equity. Findings The Roadmap of Brand Equity is provided by proposing three “pathways” founded on core value drivers as “road signs” (potential influences or main variables of the value of a place brand), which are required to be strategically monitored and aligned to place branding activities to enhance the value of a city, region or country. Value drivers of place brand equity and the roadmap of place brand equity are proposed through the figures. Research limitations/implications A natural progression of this study is the investigation of place brand equity by applying statistical procedures for measuring places. Due to specific locations’ (often) unfavorable and threatening reputations worldwide, the key value-drivers (government initiatives, stakeholders' perceptions, residents’ engagement, news media, social media and real data indexes) are noted as influential partakers – either separated or combined – when analyzing their brand equity. Practical implications Both proposed archetypes suggest applications for several co-creators involved in public or private places, which can be beneficial for both emerging and non-emerging countries, regions or cities. Furthermore, both may be applied to the analysis of other places (e.g. universities, schools, museums, public squares, airports, hospitals, etc.). Social implications This study may inspire planning and actions for public policies, including private partnerships, government initiatives and practical endeavors. Originality/value This is one of the first studies to perform an analysis of brand equity of places under a qualitative approach and to propose strategical frameworks for both research and practice.

Customer-Based Place Brand Equity and Tourism: A Regional Identity Perspective

The major purpose of place branding is to attract tourists and investors by enhancing the value proposition of a place through its unique regional identity. We undertake two studies to test the impact of regional identity on destination brand loyalty, and thereby on investment attractiveness. Study 1 involves identifying the dimensions of customer-based place brand equity (CBPBE) from a regional identity perspective. Data were collected from the state of West Bengal in India. Results of exploratory factor analysis show a four-dimensional structure of CBPBE consisting of brand salience, brand meaning, perceived quality, and brand attachment. Based on 290 responses collected from Thailand, we use these CBPBE dimensions in study 2 to develop and validate the psychometrically robust CBPBE-RI instrument. Finally, we test for the impact of CBPBE-RI dimensions on destination brand loyalty and investment attractiveness. The results have managerial and theoretical implications.

Factors Determining City Brand Equity—A Systematic Literature Review

The aim of this study is to analyze factors determining city brand equity (CBE) on the bases of a systematic literature review (SLR) according to a procedure developed by Tranfield. Five databases were searched (Scopus, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, EBSCO, and Elsevier) for studies containing the term ‘city brand equity’. In addition, databases were searched for ‘destination brand equity’ and ‘place brand equity’ statements focusing on city brands. This SLR contains 36 empirical studies and does not include conference materials, and books. The analysis was based on three issues: general information (author/authors, year of publication, research tools, sample size, city and country as well as sample population), research specification (variables, hypotheses or research questions, statistical methods and research tools), and findings related to CBE and practical implications for destination marketing organizations, and destination or city managers. In summary, there are many factors determining CBE, including brand image, brand quality and brand awareness. These factors are related to cultural, environmental and ecological elements, as well as infrastructure and services offered to tourists. Brand assets related to the perception of the city brands in various aspects also proved to be important.

Measuring Customer-based Brand Equity of Tourism Destinations: Just a Matter of Scale?

An increasing number of measurement scales has been developed in order to measure the customer-based brand equity of tourism destination (CBBETD) brands. However, there is a lack of theoretical development about the measurement of brand equity in such a context. A review of recent approaches shows that most contributions selectively focus on specific cases and tourists as stakeholders, while most articles demonstrate little methodological or conceptual reflexivity. Considering the variety and complexity of places, the paper argues that measuring place brand equity requires an inductive exploration of the construct's dimensionality for the specific place under consideration. Research can then focus on comparing multiple places associated with similar product or service offerings. Cross-place assessments should compare similar territorial entities, but include more destinations located in different spatial-cultural contexts. Furthermore, the inclusion of more stakeholders (e.g.,local residents) and more longitudinal comparisons are required to make the findings more meaningful.

An assessment of place brand potential: familiarity, favourability and uniqueness

Purpose This paper aims to present an approach by which to assess the potential of branding a particular type of place resource or feature. Design/methodology/approach A review was conducted to analyse three key periodicals (Journal of Brand Management, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy and Journal of Place Management and Development) in the field of branding and place branding between 2000 and 2011. These three periodicals are recognized as the three leading periodicals of place branding, and they followed the clear establishment and development of the field of place branding. Findings Familiarity, favourability and uniqueness are the three dimensions that give a quick indication of the level of place brand equity, and in turn they represent the level of place brand potential. Research limitations/implications In the literature, brand potential is not well conceptualized. This paper identifies this knowledge gap through a review of place branding studies, and it closes the gap by connecting brand potential with place brand equity. Originality/value This paper suggests practical and research directions by which to study these three dimensions to generate valuable brands for places.