IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i8p3377-d1377691.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Can Cities Build Their Brand through Arts and Culture? An Analysis of ECoC Bidbooks from 2020 to 2026

Author

Listed:
  • Elena-Lavinia Ciuculescu

    (Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration, Transilvania University of Brașov, 500036 Brașov, Romania)

  • Florin-Alexandru Luca

    (Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration, Transilvania University of Brașov, 500036 Brașov, Romania)

Abstract

Recognizing the vital role of a positive city image in attracting stakeholders, urban officials are increasingly implementing cultural branding strategies to establish and highlight their city’s distinct character. Culture, essential in urban development, shapes identity and local economy, encouraging social cohesion and sustainability. According to existing research, strategies for branding places—and cities in particular—through arts and culture include associating them with a famous personality (such as Barcelona’s perceived connection with Gaudi), flagship buildings (like Paris with the Eiffel Tower) and hallmark events (as exemplified by Cannes and its Film Festival). The European Capital of Culture awarded annually by the European Union, which associates a city with a good cultural reputation, was a favorable starting point for this research. Fourteen EcoC Bidbooks brought forward by candidate cities bidding for the title within the 2020–2026 time frame were analyzed in order to investigate essential components of city branding. The study delves into aspects such as perceived image of European Capital of Culture candidates, problems behind this perceived image and ideal city image, revealing recurrent themes that define cultural European cities today. In addition, the research identifies new strategies that complete Ashworth’s list (such as culture tailored to a particular natural environment, alternative spaces turned into culture hubs, artistic transportation, historical moments and movements, culture gamification, grassroots culture, culture thematization, highlighting the cultures of minorities, cultural fusions and embracing local folklore and mythical creatures). This helps bridge a gap in the specialized literature on cultural place branding. The study’s originality extends to the analysis of Ecoc Bidbooks as a sum of cultural branding strategies proposed by the candidate cities. Each Bidbook is in fact a cultural vision of the city under optimum financial circumstances, thereby carrying a significant weight in the realm of research.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena-Lavinia Ciuculescu & Florin-Alexandru Luca, 2024. "How Can Cities Build Their Brand through Arts and Culture? An Analysis of ECoC Bidbooks from 2020 to 2026," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-20, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:8:p:3377-:d:1377691
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/8/3377/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/8/3377/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Harvey Molotch & Mark Treskon, 2009. "Changing Art: SoHo, Chelsea and the Dynamic Geography of Galleries in New York City," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 517-541, June.
    2. Renaud Vuignier, 2016. "Place marketing and place branding: A systematic (and tentatively exhaustive) literature review," Working Papers hal-01340352, HAL.
    3. Ari-Veikko Anttiroiko, 2015. "City Branding as a Response to Global Intercity Competition," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(2), pages 233-252, June.
    4. Amelia Green & Debra Grace & Helen Perkins, 2016. "City branding research and practice: An integrative review," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(3), pages 252-272, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Martin Boisen & Peter Groote & Kees Terlouw & Oscar Couwenberg, 2018. "Patterns of place promotion, place marketing and/or place branding in Dutch municipalities," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 14(2), pages 78-88, May.
    2. Geneviève Zembri-Mary & Virginie Engrand-Linder, 2023. "Urban planning law in the face of the Olympic challenge: Between innovation and criticism of exceptional urban regeneration," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 38(4), pages 369-388, June.
    3. Isaac Taberner & Albert Juncà, 2021. "Small-Scale Sport Events as Place Branding Platforms: A Content Analysis of Osona’s Projected Destination Image through Event-Related Pictures on Instagram," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-21, November.
    4. Megbel Aleidan, 2021. "When Geography Matters: The potential role of Saudi Arabia’s Geographical Branding in Promoting FDI," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 14(1), pages 1-64, July.
    5. Shaun M. Powell, 2016. "Journal of Brand Management – Year end review 2016," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(6), pages 601-611, November.
    6. Minjin Lee & Hangil Kim & SangHyun Cheon, 2021. "A Network Approach to Revealing Dynamic Succession Processes of Urban Land Use and User Experience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-16, October.
    7. Pappalepore, Ilaria & Duignan, Michael B., 2016. "The London 2012 cultural programme: A consideration of Olympic impacts and legacies for small creative organisations in east London," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 344-355.
    8. Niusha Esmaeilpoorarabi & Tan Yigitcanlar & Mirko Guaralda, 2016. "Place quality and urban competitiveness symbiosis? A position paper," International Journal of Knowledge-Based Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 7(1), pages 4-21.
    9. Vanessa Mathews, 2014. "Incoherence and Tension in Culture-Led Redevelopment," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(3), pages 1019-1036, May.
    10. Meiling Han & Martin de Jong & Minghui Jiang, 2019. "City Branding and Industrial Transformation from Manufacturing to Services: Which Pathways do Cities in Central China Follow?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-46, October.
    11. Yu-Min Joo & Bokyong Seo, 2018. "Transformative city branding for policy change: The case of Seoul’s participatory branding," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 36(2), pages 239-257, March.
    12. Vaňová Anna & Vitálišová Katarína & Rojíková Darina & Škvareninová Dagmar, 2023. "Promotion of biosphere reserves: How to build awareness of their importance for sustainable development?," Environmental & Socio-economic Studies, Sciendo, vol. 11(4), pages 49-61, December.
    13. Steven Chen & Eric Shih, 2019. "City branding through cinema: the case of postcolonial Hong Kong," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(5), pages 505-521, September.
    14. Piotr Raźniak & Sławomir Dorocki & Tomasz Rachwał & Anna Winiarczyk-Raźniak, 2021. "The Role of the Energy Sector in the Command and Control Function of Cities in Conditions of Sustainability Transitions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-14, November.
    15. Jansson Johan, 2014. "Temporary events and spaces in the Swedish primary art market," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 58(1), pages 202-215, October.
    16. Lorenzo Kihlgren Grandi, 2023. "Branding, Diplomacy, and Inclusion: The Role of Migrant Cuisines in Cities’ Local and International Action," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-18, June.
    17. Scarborough, William J. & Crabbe, Rowena, 2021. "Place brands across U.S. cities and growth in local high-technology sectors," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 70-85.
    18. Chiara Rinaldi, 2017. "Food and Gastronomy for Sustainable Place Development: A Multidisciplinary Analysis of Different Theoretical Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-25, September.
    19. Shixin Ivy Zhang & Yi Wang & Nancy X. Liu & Yat-Ming Loo, 2021. "Ningbo city branding and public diplomacy under the belt and road initiative in China," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(2), pages 127-139, June.
    20. Joanna P. Ganning, 2016. "Arts Stability and Growth Amid Redevelopment in U.S. Shrinking Cities’ Downtowns," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 30(3), pages 239-251, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:8:p:3377-:d:1377691. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.