City branding: When the city becomes a product to be sold

City branding strategies are a great opportunity to attract a constantly growing flow of people and investments, with positive outcomes in terms of local image and territorial economic strengthening. Today I will focus on city branding, starting from the two concepts of cultural and tourist-local branding.

Starting with the former, cultural branding can be defined as any brand used in the field of culture. On the other hand, we should define the term ‘culture’ and what we mean by that. In recent times, the term ‘culture’ actually saw an extension of its meaning, especially about the cultural property and its legal regulation. The meaning of the word culture went from a traditional meaning related to arts, literature, ethnology, and anthropology to one of heritage.

A cultural brand is typically associated with positive values such as the expression of creativity, beauty, and the message heritage conveys at the level of social memory. Given all these positive contents, it is clear how high is the added value of such a cultural brand and how it can create a meaningful and positive association with commercial products or services. Taking this semantic, emotional, and important asset into due account, the added value related to cultural brands is visible.

In terms of values, representations, and experience, a cultural brand plays a semiotic function. Only a very well-calibrated campaign focused on cultural positioning can generate the right content and at the same time define its audience.

As far as tourist-local branding is concerned, another approach is required.

From a buyer or consumer’s perspective, a company-related brand is perceived as ‘an aggregation around specific identifying marks concerning entrepreneurial values, cognitive associations, expectations, and emotions.’ Concerning the exploitation of the territory, a tourist develops an aggregation process where values, cognitive associations, expectations, and emotions relate to the experience and are associated with a recognizable sign which identifies the destination. This way, destinations always embody their brands.

The tourist-local branding has three different functions: identification, evaluation, and a fiduciary one.

The identification function is performed by the sign (or signs,) something allowing tourists to recognize the offer for a certain territory, making it stand out and able to be distinguished from the others. During the purchasing process, this function defines all the possible alternatives and the functions that will satisfy a certain tourist need.

The assessing function is performed by the meaning given to the sign, which allows tourists to identify the offer of a certain territory and also understanding the differences between such offer and the competitors’ ones. During the purchasing process, it contributes to assess and evaluate all the possible alternatives to satisfy a specific touristic need.

Last we have the fiduciary function, allowing tourists to express an appraisal and evaluation of its reliability about a territory, that is, evaluating the possibility for it to keep the promises and give specific levels of performance in time and space about the terms of the offer. In the purchasing process, it reduces the perception of the perceived risk level as well as the cognitive dissonance related to the time lapse between purchase and use (Severino, 2011).

The first distinction between types of brands can be done according to the planning level and the formalization of the process which develops the territorial brand. For instance, an emerging brand is the result of a spontaneous process that generates a perception in the stakeholders’ minds. Such perception is the result of the history of the territory and its nonplanned communication processes. An intentional brand, on the other hand, is the result of a conscious and formal process that creates a clear perception in the stakeholders (Keller, 2005). Such perception is associated with one or more chosen cognitive symbols. This type of brand, when applied to a territory, is a synthesis of the value proposition of the territory or, in other words, the brand concept. It has some characteristics features such as the brand name (naming), its symbols (symbolizing), distinctive design (picturing), its jingle (animating), slogan (describing), and fonts (wording o lettering).

There are different types of brands: those funded on elements whose main characteristics are one or more attraction factors related to the area (i.e. the Coliseum for Rome.) Brands about a very popular event that will take place in a specific location (like Parma, European Capital of Culture in 2020) and, last but not least, brands based on events or what a tourist will experience there. In this case, the brand mainly refers to the intangible items that form the perception of the place in the target group.

Soon, a wide range of approaches will be used and tested to shape the identity of companies, products, and services. At any rate, the characteristics of a living organism are not only about companies. Whichever citizen, person, or tourist can find traits of dynamism and vitality, with an identity that is easy to define and recognize.

In a meaning that is close to economy and marketing, a city is a series of productive activities developed by local people working to create value within their territory. Being in a bigger context, such activity must be defined about competition in such a market (Grizzanti, Branzaglia, e Chiabrando 2016). Therefore a territorial brand must fulfill the requirements of ‘characterizing name and/or symbol (logo or trademark) identifying a certain area, making it different from other territories and representing a synthesis of objective, cognitive, emotional, and valuable elements of the offer.’

It is self-evident the tourism market has become a global one, where competition for destinations must be carefully analyzed and dealt with using advanced tools, using best practices and methods taking such change into due account. Today, to be recognized and acknowledged on an international level, a city must be attractive and able to define its positioning. This must be done because of the increased mobility that made people more willing to move, but only if certain conditions are met at the destination. The city thus decides which aspects to highlight, to attract capital and people.
Building a brand for a city, though, is not a matter of classical marketing. It is actually about storytelling: choosing the right pictures, colors, and feeling to tell its story at best.

Today, investing in branding is extremely important, and it is not only about designing a logo. A logo is like a business card, a necessary but not sufficient condition. Some build their brand developing technology for services, other increase the involvement level. Every city tries to define different ways to be identified.

Each city, with its distinctive elements, gives priority to some elements. It is a very demanding process, which is not about painting the city with a layer of color to attract people. It is actually about defining an identity that is visible from the outside and which can position it in the collective imagination. Thus citizens in the first place will appreciate the quality of life and the city will be able to attract tourists and investments.

Exchanging experiences is an important aspect, to learn not to make the same mistakes others have.

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Reference list

[1] Severino, Fabio. Economia e marketing per la cultura. Milano: Franco Angeli, 2011.

[2] Keller, Kevin Lane, Bruno Busacca, and Maria Carmela, Ostillio. La Gestione Del Brand: Strategie E Sviluppo. Milano: EGEA, 2007.

[3] Grizzanti, Gaetano, Carlo Branzaglia, and Mauro Chiabrando. Brand Identikit: Trasformare Un Marchio in Una Marca. Bologna: Lupetti, 2016.