From polar cold to global brand: Leveraging international city branding practices for tourism development in Verkhoyansk

Background. The article is devoted to the analysis of the prospects for the formation of a tourist brand in the city of Verkhoyansk (Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)), a settlement with an officially registered absolute minimum temperature in the Northern Hemisphere ($-67{,}8^\circ$C). Based on a comparative analysis of successful international urban branding cases (Rovaniemi (Finland), Oslo (Norway), Irkutsk (Russia), Veliky Ustyug (Russia)), the authors have developed a multi-level positioning strategy that includes phases of identification, productive development and promotion. Purpose. The aim is to develop scientifically based and practical recommendations for creating an attractive international tourism brand for the city of Verkhoyansk based on the adaptation of successful practices of international urban branding. Materials and methods. The methodological basis of the research is a synthesis of qualitative approaches, including a comparative analysis of successful international cases, an assessment of Verkhoyansk's internal potential and external conditions using SWOT analysis, as well as strategic modeling based on the theoretical framework of Simon Anholt's place branding (the "Hexagon of Nations" model) and Philip Kotler's place marketing. Results. Special attention is paid to the balance between the commercialization of extreme climate and the preservation of the authentic cultural environment of the indigenous peoples of the North. The result of the research is a roadmap that provides for the creation of a cluster model and a set of communication solutions for target audiences.