On Measuring Place Brand Effectiveness – between Theoretical Developments and Empirical Findings

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to provide an analysis of effectiveness indicators of city brand strategies drawing from the practices of 66 Polish district cities. The authors attempt to categorize the existing indicators and approaches to the evaluation of place brand effectiveness and identify potential gaps in measurement systems. Content analysis of strategic documents was performed in order to determine the perspectives applied to the practice of effectiveness measurement. The results were subsequently juxtaposed with selected theoretical constructs relevant for brand strategy effectiveness measurement, including a place brand equity model and logic framework. The measurement of place brand performance as such is often neglected by public authorities and brand consultancies alike. In the meantime, a wide range of indicators needs to be developed in order to mirror the breadth and depth of the impact of place brands on the realities of places. Following an up-to-date analysis of the literature and practices of Polish district cities, the authors conclude that the currently employed measurements of the effectiveness of city branding are not sufficient to evaluate the outputs, outcomes, and impacts of city brand strategies. Furthermore, they propose their own approach to how the indicators should be structured to perform a sound verification function over the branding practices of territorial entities.

The role of regional administrations in improving place branding effectiveness

“…For us, it seems there are two main directions within this topic. One direction deals with branding effects and proposes effects evaluation by various models and indicator systems characterizing the impact of branding (Herezniak and Anders-Morawska, 2015; Herezniak et al , 2018; Zavattaro and Fay, 2019). Another direction is to study a value of place brand itself and to concentrate on the brand equity valuation (Dinnie, 2008; Zenker, 2014; Zenker and Martin, 2011; Zavattaro et al , 2015).…”

“…From a public administration point of view there is a holistic approach to place branding effectiveness proposed in (Herezniak et al , 2018), and based on research on the problems of efficiency in public administration (Bouckaert and Halligan, 2008; Lin and Lee, 2011; Sun, 2009). Based on this, we could suppose that effectiveness of place brand treated as a tool of public management should consider the evaluation of the brand management quality, initial resources and effects with respect to the time of their occurrence (Table I).…”

“…Solutions for problems with place brand management are reflected in papers on assessing the place branding effectiveness (Braun et al , 2014; Herezniak and Anders-Morawska, 2015; Herezniak et al , 2018; Zenker and Martin, 2011). Also, an important place branding aspect is analyzed in studies on the role of stakeholders in this process (Donner and Fort, 2018; Martínez, 2016).…”

The Role of Public Relations in Implementing City Branding in “Pasar Raya” in the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…On the other hand, several indicators should be developed in determining the impact of the brand onto the place itself. The current analysis concerning districts in Poland, Hereźniak et al [1] stated that the measurement of imaging effectiveness of a city brand is not sufficient in evaluating its outcomes, results, and the impacts of city branding strategy. They propose their own-made approachment on how the indicator must be arranged in carrying out well performed verification function towards the practice of territorial entity branding.…”

City Branding with Tourism: A systematic mapping study

“…Branding researches always attract researchers to research this field [4], [5] because place branding popularity needs a specific approach to discover the proper and more critical concept [6], [7]. The basic concept requires very special treatment to establish place branding with a proper and complex conceptualization and managerial method.…”