Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Challenging assumptions about residents’ engagement with place branding

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Place Branding and Public Diplomacy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to challenge three implicit assumptions about residents’ engagement with city branding: first, that disengaged residents may not be attached to their place; second, that residents’ desire engagement with official place branding; and third, that residents perceive place branding is appropriate for their city. In-depth semi-structured interviews were held with 22 residents of Dunedin, New Zealand, to examine their place attachment, place identity, understanding of city branding and attitudes toward their city’s brand. To assist residents to articulate their feelings about Dunedin, a visual elicitation method was used to assist them to articulate their place identity and place attachment. The findings identify tensions between residents’ place identity, their understanding of city branding and attitudes toward their city’s brand, underpinned by their attachment to the city. Many residents expressed place-protective attitudes towards anticipated changes to the social fabric of their community, which they perceive to be consequences of this urban governance strategy. Local authorities may need to re-think their adoption of place branding as a ‘one-size fits all’ solution to place management and find alternatives which promote the perceived uniqueness of the city while reinforcing residents’ multiple and complex place identities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anton, C.E., and C. Lawrence. 2014. Home is where the heart is: The effect of place of residence on place attachment and community participation. Journal of Environmental Psychology 40: 451–461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braun, E., M. Kavaratzis, and S. Zenker. 2013. My city—my brand: The role of residents in place branding. Journal of Place Management and Development 6: 18–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braun, V., and V. Clarke. 2006. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology 3: 77–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Breakwell, G. 2015. Coping with threatened identities. London: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J. 2003. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Devine-Wright, P. 2009. Rethinking NIMBYism: The role of place attachment and place identity in explaining place-protective action. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 19: 426–441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, J., and K. Durrheim. 2000. Displacing place-identity: A discursive approach to locating self and other. British Journal of Social Psychology 39: 27–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunedin City Council. 2002. Monitoring Population: August 2002. Dunedin: Dunedin City Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eshuis, J., and A. Edwards. 2012. Branding the city: The democratic legitimacy of a new mode of governance. Urban Studies 50: 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fairfax Media. (2012) Top 10 worst NZ city slogans. stuff.co.nz.

  • Giuliani, V. 2003. Theory of attachment and place attachment. In Psychological theories for environmental issues, ed. M. Bonnes, T. Lee, and M. Bonaiuto, 137–170. Aldershot: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gotham, K.F. 2007. Authentic New Orleans: Tourism, culture, and race in the big easy. New York: New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guest, G., A. Bunce, and L. Johnson. 2006. How many interviews are enough?: An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods 18: 59–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hay, R. 1998. Sense of place in the developmental context. Journal of Environmental Psychology 18: 5–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hooker, J. 2007. Branding Dunedin: Passionate, active, vibrant, youthful. In Working on the edge: A portrait of business in Dunedin, ed. K. Inkson, V. Browning, and J. Kirkwood, 78–87. Dunedin: Otago University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Insch, A., and M. Florek. 2008. A great place to live, work and play: Conceptualising place satisfaction in the case of a city’s residents. Journal of Place Management and Development 1: 138–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Insch, A., and M. Stuart. 2015. Understanding resident city brand disengagement. Journal of Place Management and Development 8: 172–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kavaratzis, M. 2012. From ‘necessary evil’ to necessity: stakeholders’ involvement in place branding. Journal of Place Management and Development 5: 17–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kavaratzis, M., and G.J. Ashworth. 2008. Place marketing: How did we get here and where are we going? Journal of Place Management and Development 1: 150–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kavaratzis, M., and A. Kalandides. 2015. Rethinking the place brand: The interactive formation of place brands and the role of participatory place branding. Environment and Planning A 47: 1368–1382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, E., C. Childers, and K. Williams. 2012. A tale of a musical city: Fostering self-brand connection among residents of Austin, Texas. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy 8: 147–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korpela, K.M. 1989. Place identity as a product of environmental self regulation. Journal of Environmental Psychology 9: 241–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, Y.S., and E.G. Guba. 1985. Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Low, S.M., and I. Altman. 1992. Place attachment: a conceptual inquiry. In Human Behavior and Environment, ed. I. Altman, and S.M. Low, 1–12. New York: Planum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maher, K.H., and D. Carruthers. 2014. Urban Image Work: Official and grassroots responses to crisis in Tijuana. Urban Affairs Review 50: 244–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maiello, A., and C. Pasquinelli. 2015. Destruction or construction? A (counter) branding analysis of sport mega-events in Rio de Janeiro. Cities 48: 116–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayes, R. 2008. A place in the sun: The politics of place, identity and branding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy 4: 124–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Merrilees, B., D. Miller, and C. Herrington. 2009. Antecedents of residents’ city brand attitudes. Journal of Business Research 62: 362–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patton, M.Q. 1990. Qualitative evaluation and research methods. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Proshansky, H.M., A.K. Fabian, and R. Kaminoff. 1983. Place identity: Physical world socialization of the self. Journal of Environmental Psychology 3: 57–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramkissoon, H., L. David, G. Smith, et al. 2013. Relationships between place attachment, place satisfaction and pro-environmental behaviour in an Australian national park. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 21: 434–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scannell, L., and R. Gifford. 2010. Defining place attachment: A tripartite organizing framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology 30: 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statistics New Zealand. 2006. 2006 Census QuickStats about a place: Dunedin City. http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2006CensusHomePage/QuickStats/AboutAPlace/SnapShot.aspx?tab=Agesex&id=2000071.

  • Statistics New Zealand. 2013. 2013 Census QuickStats about a place: Dunedin City. http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-about-a-place.aspx?request_value=15022&parent_id=14973&tabname=#.

  • Stedman, R.C. 2002. Toward a social psychology of place: Predicting behavior from place-based cognitions, attitude, and identity. Environment and Behavior 34: 561–581.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stedman, R.C., T. Beckley, S. Wallace, et al. 2004. A picture and 1000 words: Using resident-employed photography to understand attachment to high amenity places. Journal of Leisure Research 36: 580–606.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, A., and J. Corbin. 1990. Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Newbury Park: SAGE Publications Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Twigger-Ross, C.L., and D. Uzzell. 1996. Place and identity processes. Journal of Environmental Psychology 16: 205–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uzzell, D., E. Pol, and D. Badenas. 2002. Place identification, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability. Environment and Behavior 34: 26–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zenker, S., and S.C. Beckman. 2013. My place is not your place—different place brand knowledge by different target groups. Journal of Place Management and Development 6: 6–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zenker, S., and S. Petersen. 2014. An integrative theoretical model for improving resident-city identification. Environment and Planning A 46: 715–729.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zenker, S., and A. Seigis. 2012. Respect and the city: The mediating role of respect in citizen participation. Journal of Place Management and Development 5: 20–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marketing, School of Business, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand

    Andrea Insch

  2. Department of Tourism, School of Business, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand

    Trudie Walters

Authors
  1. Andrea Insch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Trudie Walters
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrea Insch.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Insch, A., Walters, T. Challenging assumptions about residents’ engagement with place branding. Place Brand Public Dipl 14, 152–162 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-017-0067-5

Download citation

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-017-0067-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation