TY - JOUR
T1 - From city promotion via city marketing to city branding
T2 - Examining urban strategies in 23 Chinese cities
AU - Ma, Wenting
AU - de Jong, Martin
AU - Hoppe, Thomas
AU - de Bruijne, Mark
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - City promotion, city marketing and city branding are all frequently mentioned and examined in the literature on urban governance. Based on the goals and characteristics of different city branding strategies, this study identifies a growing level of sophistication from city promotion via city marketing to city branding and proposes that the degree of urban development of cities is positively related to the use of branding strategies. This proposition is tested among 23 Chinese cities: 21 cities in Guangdong province and two in the Special Administrative Regions – Hong Kong and Macao. The results show a positive correlation between the use of city promotion, city marketing and city branding strategies and a city's level of urban development. Only the largest and wealthiest cities, and those with the strongest tertiary sector report on the use of policies which indicate city branding. The strength of the primary sector is significantly and negatively related to all three identified forms of branding strategy. Furthermore, significant positive statistical inter-relationships exist between the different branding strategies, which confirm the existence of complex relations and overlaps between them. Our findings suggest that local governments should align their city branding strategies with their development goals.
AB - City promotion, city marketing and city branding are all frequently mentioned and examined in the literature on urban governance. Based on the goals and characteristics of different city branding strategies, this study identifies a growing level of sophistication from city promotion via city marketing to city branding and proposes that the degree of urban development of cities is positively related to the use of branding strategies. This proposition is tested among 23 Chinese cities: 21 cities in Guangdong province and two in the Special Administrative Regions – Hong Kong and Macao. The results show a positive correlation between the use of city promotion, city marketing and city branding strategies and a city's level of urban development. Only the largest and wealthiest cities, and those with the strongest tertiary sector report on the use of policies which indicate city branding. The strength of the primary sector is significantly and negatively related to all three identified forms of branding strategy. Furthermore, significant positive statistical inter-relationships exist between the different branding strategies, which confirm the existence of complex relations and overlaps between them. Our findings suggest that local governments should align their city branding strategies with their development goals.
KW - China
KW - City branding
KW - City marketing
KW - City promotion
KW - Progression proposition
KW - Urban governance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107123541&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cities.2021.103269
DO - 10.1016/j.cities.2021.103269
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85107123541
VL - 116
JO - Cities: the international journal of urban policy and planning
JF - Cities: the international journal of urban policy and planning
SN - 0264-2751
M1 - 103269
ER -