Robert Govers - Place Branding: Glocal, Virtual and Physical Identities, Constructed, Imagined and Experienced

Glocal, Virtual and Physical Identities, Constructed, Imagined and Experienced

Robert Govers and Frank Go

Robert Govers and Frank Go 2009

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First published 2009 by

PALGRAVE MACMILLAN

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ISBN 978-0-230-23073-6

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Printed and bound in Great Britain by

CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham and Eastbourne

Figures

1.1 Polyinclusive levels of hedonic consumption experiences

3.1 The 3-gap place branding model

5.1 Map of the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai

5.2 Population breakdown of Dubai, by country of origin

5.3 Dubais growth in supply of rooms in hotels and serviced apartments

5.4 Dubais hotel performance statistics, 20007

5.5 Hotel establishment guests, by nationality

5.6 Dubai visitors trip purposes

5.7 Map of Dubai including major ongoing development projects

5.8 Jumeirah properties: Madinat Jumeirah and Burj Al Arab

5.9 Dubais heritage in the Bastaqya and Shindagha area (H. H. Sheikh Saeeds house)

6.1 Map of the Netherlands, including Zeeland

7.1 Current map of Flanders

7.2 Map of the County of Flanders (16th century)

7.3 Level of regional attachment of the Flemish

7.4 Residents perception of Flemish identity

8.1 A model of network navigation for virtual experiences

9.1 Dubai website focal themes of images through clustering of motifs

10.1 Culinary festival De Smaek van Zeland held in Middelburg

10.2 Imaginative branding of folklore

10.3 New Zealand Edge

11.1 Components of place image and an example of four of these for Nepal

11.2 Choice set model

12.1 Survey sample designs and travel behaviour, awareness and patronage

12.2 Place image among four different awareness and patronage groups

13.1 Sample across destinations

13.2 Sample according to age of respondent

13.3 Number of countries visited

13.4 Sample according to income, family life cycle and occupation

13.5 Perceptual map of destinations and their image components

16.1 Gap-bridging place branding guide

Tables

2.1 Three approaches to the concept of image

2.2 Fields of study within environmental psychology in five travel phases

5.1 Opening of a typical instant messaging conversation in Dubai

6.1 The three most-selected images and the top-5 emotional adjectives connected with them

6.2 Multisensory elements of Zeeland, according to residents

7.1 Respondents geographical attachment

9.1 Sample distribution

9.2 Dubai website images content analysis results

9.3 Website focal themes and differences between sectors in Dubai

9.4 Frequency list of unique words in all Dubai website text

9.5 Central concepts of website content for sectors

11.1 A taxonomy of procedures for measuring place image

12.1 Place image attributes

12.2 The most common attributes used in place image studies

12.3 Sampling frames for first measurement

12.4 Results of factor analysis on thirty-two items measuring place image

13.1 Countries of residence of respondents

13.2 Sample across continents

13.3 Image descriptions for seven sample destinations

13.4 Information sources

13.5 Information sources for each of seven sample destinations

13.6 Perceived image of Dubai according to cultural background

13.7 Perceived image of Dubai according to gender

16.1 Constructive elements of identity

Exhibits

13.1 First page of the image survey questionnaire

13.2 Initial wording of central image survey question as proposed in the Delphi discussion

13.3 Final wording of page two of the image survey questionnaire resulting from the Delphi discussion

The topic of place branding is moving from its infant stage into adolescence. In application it is receiving widespread attention: many regions, cities and nations have established their place brand, are working on it, or have at least already given it some thought. However, there is a dearth of publications that deal with the topic in a comprehensive manner. That is to say, most titles emphasize one aspect, such as principles, case studies or specific areas of research, as opposed to treating the subject in its full breadth. While these, and practical guides on place branding, can offer highly valuable contributions, what seems to be missing is a textbook that brings the fundamentals, design and methods together in a systematic format that is academically grounded, but at the same time useful for practice. This is the void that the present volume is trying to fill.

Simon Anholt, in his 2007 book Competitive Identity, puts it well: although the usual context of brand theory may be buying and selling and promoting consumer goods, this is a thin layer that covers some of the hardest philosophical questions one can tackle: the nature of perception and reality, the relationship between objects and their representation, the phenomena of mass psychology, the mysteries of national identity, leadership, culture and social cohesion, and much more besides. Many of these questions will be addressed in this book. It departs from the assumption that a principles-based approach to place branding should help readers to achieve a balance between the conceptual and the practical, private and public interest, the potential conflict between continuity as captured in the heritage of place and change in the culture of any society. Therefore the present text on place branding, while dealing among other things with topics such as the importance of creating a logo and slogan, it does not offer quick solutions. Instead, it follows principles that we believe can, if applied diligently, help the reader to develop an understanding that place branding encompasses a process unfolding in phases, each with its own challenges and opportunities. Accordingly, the present text embraces the following principles. It is: