Title: Rethinking place branding governance: the implications of a stakeholder-orientated approach when managing the presentation of complex places
Research pathway: Management & Business
Host institution: Cardiff University
Research is calling for more inclusive and sustainable approaches to place branding, which are representative of the associations, meanings and activities of the people who live, work, and invest within its boundaries. Despite these calls, there are concerns that top-down approaches led by local state actors and leading destination and business representatives continue to dominate the process, marked by a reliance on scripted logos, slogans and taglines. My PhD examined how claims of greater stakeholder participation played out in practice across two UK cities, critically investigating if, and how, wider groups of stakeholders (including residents and local businesses) were able to participate in collaborations and partnerships that shaped the way their cities were presented. My qualitative research highlighted a continuation in uneven access to branding activities, with those with the knowledge, resources and connections retaining their influence. In particular, three significant themes for future investigation were identified: the implication of time and temporality, the underutilised value of stakeholder involvement when creating authentic and sustainable places; and the increasing overlap between place branding and other place-based policies and practices, such as placemaking and policy making.
Central to my ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship is the development and dissemination of these findings to academic and non-academic audiences through journals, conferences, reports, policy briefings and blog posts. I will also undertake an institutional visit at the Institute of Place Management (IPM) within Manchester Metropolitan University. By spending a month working with the team and its industry partners, I will extend the reach of my research and strengthen networks for future collaborations. Building on my existing work, a small follow-up study of a medium sized UK city will be undertaken.
Twitter: @LauraReynoldsCU
Website: https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/people/view/1500808-reynolds-laura