Branding, the oft-practiced phenomenon in today's marketing scenario, attracts customers. The idea and the process of giving a brand name to a city implies city branding, which calls for a huge social, economical and political recognition globally. There is a gamut of horizontal and vertical benefits regarding the product, city values, foreign investments, etc. This paper highlights different branding strategies of a city by the brand sponsors and stakeholders. This paper investigates city branding cases and lessons of cities like Hong Kong, Dubai, Birmingham, Chandigarh and Hyderabad, and concludes that branding is the need of the hour to compete in the modern world market.
According
to the American Marketing Association (AMA), branding is the process of making
sure that perceptions of the customers or people are shaped by a name, logo, color,
form, symbol, design, or in a tangible way rather than by default. Branding is
nothing but the name of a company or a product or a place that acquires meaning
and becomes popular, over a period of time. If one thinks of branding as a strategy
that's relevant only to businesses, one needs to think again. It has become inevitable
and imperative for nations and cities as well.
The
AMA defines a brand as a "name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination
of these, which is used to identify the goods or services of one seller or group
of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors". Reputation is building reliability or high
image of brands over a period of time, e.g., Sony, IBM, Bata and LG in the corporate
category; Malaysia, Singapore and England in the nation category and Dubai, Toronto,
Shanghai, Ottawa and Hyderabad in city category. This value can be created by adhering to conformance quality
(the degree to which various brands meet their propositions and promised specifications),
keeping up the promises made. The branding efforts that are aimed at reducing
the cognitive dissonance among the customers can be included in this category.
e.g., Toyota in company category, and Johannesburg in the city category. Brand also acts as a symbol that expresses value and identity.
Historically, symbols were developed to communicate values. Red Fort and Kutubminar
in Delhi, Pyramids in Egypt, Amphi Theatres in Athens are some of the good examples
of symbols that communicate the culture and value system of their ages. In the
modern era, brands like Nike, Sony, Benz and McDonald's have become symbols of
life styles.
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