When the territorial reform questions the destiny and the springs of the place branding: an approach by the proximities[Quand la réforme territoriale questionne le devenir et les ressorts de la marque Territoire : une approche par les proximités]

French local authorities have launched on branding strategies, particularly the regions, in the early 2000s with the will to stand their territory in order to increase their attractiveness. Territorial reform created by the law NOTRe (New Territorial Organization of the Republic) effective from 1 January 2016, reducing the regions from 22 to 13, has consequences for some of its brands on their strategy and question their future. Some attach to highlight the social and emotional dimensions that individuals have with their territory and they are also trying to create a proximity between actors and between the territory of even the actors themselves. It is in this context of fusion as we envisage brand territory as a joint instrument of various forms of spatial proximity and non-space from the grid of the economy of proximity (Pecqueur, Zimmermann, 2004; Boschma, 2005; Talbot, Kirat, 2005; Torre, Rallet, 2005). After evaluating the scenarios identified in a prior research work (Rochette, Zumbo-Lebrument, 2016), we show, using a descriptive analysis based on the results of a survey on 102 individuals, what scenario is considered as a desirable one and those considered as a probable one for the brand in the context of the new region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. This study shows the existence of a link between the brand of a region and the different dimensions of proximity. The fragility and friability of the proximities explain the difficulty to evolve the place branding in a context of spatial redefinition of the region. The study also highlights the fact that the geographical dimension of proximity proves to be the anchor of other forms of proximity.