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Purpose
Worldwide approximately 200 national economies are competing in the destination market. In 2006, global government and capital expenditure exceeded US$1,480 billion making destination branding an important concept that still remains fragmented and unplanned. Dubai, an emirate of the UAE in the Middle East has been chosen as a case study to...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... majority of the cheap labor is male and they live without their families; this makes for very skewed demographics. Sheikh Zayed Road, the main feeder road that runs the length of Dubai in the 1990s, had very little building construction along it, but that no longer remains true (see Figure 5 -figure circled is the World Trade Centre, which in the 1990s, was the tallest building in Dubai). Parking, the huge number of apartments and villas that will hit the market by 2010, and maintaining security when tourists will outnumber residents by 4: 1 are areas of worry. ...
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This study was based on understanding the concept of city marketing as a driver towards the achievement of effective city brands. The main aim was to develop a new destination branding
perspective that originates from city branding. The study employed a quantitative research design. It was however initiated by in-depth interviews in order to build...
Destinations are more likely to be successful if they recognize the experiential qualities of their offerings. However, with some exceptions, research into the emotional content of the destination experience remains largely underexplored. This current research addresses this lacuna and empirically investigates the dimensions of tourists’ emotional...
The study was based on understanding the relationship between place branding and nation branding. This was with an aim to uplift the performance of Zimbabwe tourism destination brand, through an improved global market identity and visibility. This helped in coming up with elements that supports place branding and nation branding separately, then us...
Citations
... Urban tourism has been long associated with place branding and marketing [7] and has been the subject of research ranging from its use in classic heritage cities such as Paris [22] to later emergent urban destinations such as Dubai [23]. In the case of Scotland, Glasgow's investment in place branding and resident and visitor perceptions merits review in the post-COVID-19 environment. ...
The aim of the study was to explore the potential of a timed word association task to generate detailed insights into the perception of Glasgow city and its people which could inform destination and brand marketing. Destination marketers have a challenge to convey the tourist destination image to attract and satisfy the expectations of its visitors. Yet destination perceptions are often the result of multiple tourist visitor experiences at a location, neglecting the voice of the resident. The extent to which word associations varied by participants’ relationship to Glasgow was identified in terms of Aaker’s brand personality scale, an extension of personality research on brands and destinations. Surveying of 1,219 UK participants generated a total of 5,993 terms (city; 1,144 unique) and 5,034 terms (people; 944 unique). The value of capturing the perceptions of a destination by its residents is identified. The results showed that the city of Glasgow was often described as cold and busy, while the people were primarily described as friendly and funny. Evidence was found in support of dual-processing theory suggesting word associations based on lived experiences of a city may be generated later (in terms of the order in which the terms were generated) in a word association task, while common linguistic associations (e.g. synonyms, antonyms, hierarchies etc.) tend to be generated earlier in the task. As hypothesised, analyses revealed a significant relationship between several of the Aaker-dimensions of brand personality, and the consumers’ relationship to Glasgow, extending marketing research with an empirical approach to identifying differences in the perceived personality of a destination. The study offers a practical, fast, and replicable method for destination marketers to study consumer perception at scale, which is currently not widely utilised in this field. In particular, the use of semantic distance and word embeddings provides a readily available approach to automatically categorise content derived from word associations studies, or indeed, any text-based content. In contrast, financial investment in non-validated branding and destination marketing campaigns appear to be increasingly problematic. Advances were made in testing an approach to interpreting word associations through the lens of linguistic and situated simulation (LASS) theory to provide deeper analysis to both categorise and interpret consumers’ perception. Traditional approaches to tourism marketing and destination branding rarely provide such a level of analytical appraisal. The analysis presented in this paper challenges the orthodoxy and validity of investment in brand and destination marketing at a city level and the potential for word association tasks to be used as a valuable alternative method to create more effective destination marketing and branding.
... While exploring literature about nation branding as well as data related to Spain and UAE, different researchers, such as Torres (2019), Aronczyk (2013), Balakrishnan (2008), Anholt (2007), and Freire (2005) have emphasized the role of vision and nation brand planning. This is conducted through the nation's leadership or government. ...
... This is conducted through the nation's leadership or government. Dubai's rise is heavily tied with the vision of its ruler, Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Balakrishnan, 2008). The same is true for Spain after the fall of its dictatorship; the rise that Spain went through is mostly associated with the changes that took place in its leadership, along with a strategic plan to empower the brand (Aronczyk, 2013). ...
... The city became more famous than the UAE as a whole and even more famous than entire countries across the region that were there even before the establishment of the Emirates (Balakrishnan, 2008). The fact that Spain and the UAE have a different history, culture, language, religion, regime, economy, social structure, and are on different continents, and yet both seem to be in a 'good' ranking could be an indicator that any nation in the world is capable of building an admirable brand. ...
Abstract
This thesis explores how countries can utilize nation brands in a globalized competitive world to foster their potential, and in so doing, how they can achieve the financial benefits referred to in different fields, including attracting tourists and foreign investors. To answer this research question, this study reviews the subject of nation branding, what constitutes a nation’s brand, and what makes a brand a positive one, to then comprehend the significance of effectively communicating the brand globally in order to achieve a positive perception.
Qualitative research was conducted within an interpretive epistemology, with the data collected using two methods. The first method was interviews, in which eleven relevant actors from the field were interviewed to discuss various aspects of the topic. This includes what constitutes a positive brand, previous anecdotes with global brands, influential elements in nation branding, and effective brand communications. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was applied to analyze the data collected in the interviews. Promotional digital campaigns conducted by the study’s chosen nations, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Spain, were examined through Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a second method in the empirical section. This was to access concrete materials of media actions and comprehend the communication themes and elements used to promote nations and attract foreigners.
After analyzing the interviews, the researcher identified themes that define a nation’s brand builders, as well as the importance of both internal and external communications, followed by an analysis of the intersection of politics and nation branding, based on the consensus view of participants. Furthermore, through the reviewed communicated brands’ narrative and elements, CDA enhanced the researcher’s understanding of how nations attempt to impress and attract
visitors, investors, and tourists.
The findings of the investigation led to the thesis that nation branding is an ongoing and consistent process that is more complicated than what has been described in the literature up to now. The author submits that countries can foster their potential by first developing a competitive brand and then effectively communicating the brand’s narrative and competitive edge using several types of communications channels continuously in order to impress and successfully attract tourists and investors.
In the process of branding themselves, nations must sustain a well-built and a competitive brand. Based on the analysed themes from the interviews with global actors in nation branding, and on the analysis of the campaigns within the theoretical framework, the author identified the brand-building elements that comprise a competitive and attractive nation brand. Vision,
policies, the nation’s role and contributions in social, humanitarian, and environmental global issues, infrastructure, culture, history, people, sports, and location are among these elements.
Sustaining a competitive brand requires effective and continuous internal and external communications: internally, by informing all stakeholders about the nation’s vision and objectives, and combining its resources to achieve those goals; and externally, by effectively communicating the nation’s narrative, competitive edge, and uniqueness to various global audiences using a variety of communication tools and strategies. The significance of using a variety of communication tools stems from the aim of minimizing any distortion namely from global media platforms mainly due to political or economic motivations. While results from this study indicate that regional political and economic agendas can influence a nation’s brand, nation branding is shown to be ineffective at influencing political agendas.
Keywords:
Nation branding, nation brand, country marketing, place marketing, brand communications.
... While exploring literature about nation branding as well as data related to Spain and UAE, different researchers, such as Torres (2019), Aronczyk (2013), Balakrishnan (2008), Anholt (2007), and Freire (2005) have emphasized the role of vision and nation brand planning. This is conducted through the nation's leadership or government. ...
... This is conducted through the nation's leadership or government. Dubai's rise is heavily tied with the vision of its ruler, Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Balakrishnan, 2008). The same is true for Spain after the fall of its dictatorship; the rise that Spain went through is mostly associated with the changes that took place in its leadership, along with a strategic plan to empower the brand (Aronczyk, 2013). ...
... The city became more famous than the UAE as a whole and even more famous than entire countries across the region that were there even before the establishment of the Emirates (Balakrishnan, 2008). The fact that Spain and the UAE have a different history, culture, language, religion, regime, economy, social structure, and are on different continents, and yet both seem to be in a 'good' ranking could be an indicator that any nation in the world is capable of building an admirable brand. ...
... The multifaceted nature of the place requires leadership to permeate; a process where brand management requires cooperation that eliminates any form of coercion. Strategic infrastructure must consider the diversity of stakeholder needs and the limitations of placing a brand in relation to infrastructure and its environment (Balakrishnan, 2008;Gaggiotti et al., 2008). Therefore, the leadership role must support the formation of partnerships and networks by providing focus and fostering commitment. ...
This research is aimed at gathering information and analyzing branding strategies to strengthen the tourism image of Jayapura Regency. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach, namely describing and analyzing branding strategies to strengthen the tourism image of Jayapura Regency. Sources of data in this study came from the website belonging to the Jayapura Regency Culture and Tourism Office, online news related to the theme, and literature reviews. The data analysis technique used in this study refers to that described by Creswell in Moleong (2008), namely using 5 steps, namely: processing and preparing data for analysis, reading the entire data, analyzing in more detail by coding the data. Based on the results of this study, tourism branding in Jayapura Regency has several challenges.
... Because of the " 'topic's relevance, several brand identity building blocks have been presented, with the most attention paid to corporate brand identity building blocks (van Riel and Balmer, 1997). Furthermore, academics primarily focused on product (van Riel and Balmer, 1997;Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 1999;Kapferer, 2008) or service (Garber, Burke and Jones, 2000) brands, with only a few on other types of brands, such as destination (Stephens Balakrishnan, 2008;Konecnik Ruzzier and de Chernatony, 2013). The Table 1 shows a complete examination of brand identity building pieces. ...
Purpose: This study evaluates the contribution of symbolic brand elements such as the destination name, logo, and tagline to forming a destination brand. Theoretical framework: Branding is identified with a symbolic element in a product. In the context of destination branding, an emblem or logo promises a tourist experience that can be remembered and associated with a particular destination by tourists or visitors. (Mihalis Kavaratzis & Hatch, 2013) Design/methodology/approach: The article reports on field research that operationalizes a theoretical framework to examine visitor perceptions of West Java—involving 322 respondents, namely visitors to tourist destinations in West Java. Findings: The name of the destination is the most contributing element to the formation of the West Java destination brand. In addition, the name of the destination is accessible for visitors to remember and influences their visit decision. However, according to respondents, taglines and logos are also essential elements in branding destinations in West Java. Research, Practical & Social implications: We suggest a future research agenda and highlight the symbolic brand elements in the form of brand names, logos, and slogans (or taglines) that contribute to overall destination branding in other city or country. Originality/value: The results of this study indicate the role of the brand element of the destination name can also influence the decision of tourists to visit the destination. The results refer to brand elements (at least the tagline and logo) which are “important” for branding West Java city/district destinations.
... The promotion of the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Umm Al Quwain is designed on strategic axes, plugging into a common federal vision whilst offering location-specific distinctiveness. Destination branding has been instrumental to the successful diversification policy of the UAE (Ahmed et al. 2022) and to the individual emirates (Balakrishnan 2008;Westwood 2012;Kotsi and Michael 2015;Al Saed et al. 2020), which offer singular tourism value propositions based on their cultural landscapes. The national economic vision embraces the diversity of the respective tourism potential, which is very noticeable in the northern emirates, where the added value of local heritage does not gravitate around the large distribution structures of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. ...
As suggested by the title, this paper explores two of the several archaeological sites that configure religious loci in the territory of the current United Arab Emirates. It does so by assessing their relevance, by refining their nature and historical context, and by analyzing their positioning as components of a tourism mix. The core research question is whether or not integration is accomplished. Both structures are quite well known in the academic literature and underwent excavation and conservation investments that allow their proper use and promotion. Discussion and conclusions identify challenges for achieving an appropriate integration with conditioning supply factors.
... Both positive and negative images might be connected with a destination, images that are difficult to change. With about 200 nations and over 2 million destinations, potential visitors might pick (Balakrishnan, 2008), the tourism market has become very competitive. As a result, in order to attract visitors to a certain destination, marketers and industry experts are working to develop a favourable destination image, which plays a significant role in tourists' travel decision-making and can impact their behaviour toward a particular destination. ...
La croissance rapide de l'industrie du tourisme a créé des défis importants en matière de marketing touristique pour de nombreuses destinations. Les destinations touristiques doivent se concurrencer pour attirer de nouveaux touristes ou persuader les précédents de renouveler leur visite. En conséquence, ils doivent imaginer une image tentante pour leur marché cible. Par conséquent, l'image de la destination est un concept marketing crucial qui joue un rôle central dans la compréhension de la sélection de la destination (Baloglu & McCleary, 1999). A l’origine, Echtner et Ritchie (1991) définissent l'image de la destination touristique comme un ensemble de qualités fonctionnelles (utilitaires) liées au comportement touristique, telles que les infrastructures touristiques, les attractions et la tarification des produits touristiques (Echtner & Ritchie, 1993 ; P. Pearce, 1982). Cependant, de nombreux autres facteurs influents peuvent jouer un rôle important. Cette recherche de doctorat en philosophie (PhD) explore le rôle des événements et des innovations culturelles (telles que la gamification) dans l'amélioration de l'image de la destination touristique en étudiant leurs impacts, car l'image peut affecter directement le choix de la destination touristique (Beerli et al., 2007 ; Crompton, 1992 ; MacKay & Fesenmaier, 1997 ; Seddighi & Theocharous, 2002 ; Sirakaya et al., 2001 ; Um, 1998 ; Walmsley & Young, 1998).Les événements, en particulier les plus petits, pourraient être considérés comme l'un des outils utilisés en faveur des destinations touristiques lorsqu'elles sont en concurrence avec d'autres. Cependant, une grande partie de l'attention a été concentrée sur des événements à grande échelle ou méga-événements, avec peu de connaissances ou de compréhension des contributions apportées par leurs homologues beaucoup plus petits. Les événements culturels locaux, contrairement aux méga-événements, nécessitent peu d'investissements ou de développement d'infrastructures (Gursoy et al., 2004), ce qui les rend facilement accessibles aux milliers de petites lieux qui cherchent à renforcer leur image.Outre les événements, les innovations culturelles dans les destinations touristiques deviennent un nouveau mot à la mode dans les destinations ; la gamification fait partie des tendances qui pourraient aider les destinations dans cette compétition, notamment en ce qui concerne le goût des nouvelles générations (Gen Y et Z). Cependant, comme il s'agit d'un nouveau sujet, peu d'études ont été utilisées pour analyser le résultat de cette tendance et si la gamification peut aider les destinations à améliorer leur image. L'objectif global de cette thèse est d'offrir des informations solides sur la façon dont les destinations peuvent améliorer leur image et attirer plus de touristes en utilisant des moyens créatifs, dans les dimensions qui viennent d’être évoquées. De plus, les événements culturels et les innovations, populaires dans de nombreux endroits, ont de bons résultats en matière d'économie, de socialisation et de culture et sont considérés comme des outils pratiques. En conséquence, les organisations de marketing de destination (OMD) et les décideurs auront plus d'informations et de connaissances sur ce domaine d'étude et d’arguments pour soutenir leurs processus de prise de décision. Ce domaine spécifique est actuellement sous-étudié et a sa place dans l'étude plus large de l'industrie du tourisme et des impacts des événements. En conséquence, cette thèse tente d'enrichir la littérature théorique et méthodologique en se concentrant sur la question des événements et des innovations culturelles ; comment peuvent-ils contribuer efficacement à l'amélioration de l'image des destinations et les rendre plus attrayantes ou tentantes pour les touristes ?
... Dubai was selected for the present study as it is one of the most cosmopolitan cities within the GCC region. Dubai enjoys a favorable strategic and central location between Europe and the Far East, making it a potential financial center for both regions (Jacobs and Hall 2007;Balakrishnan 2008). In the twenty-first century, Dubai became one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, according to a survey of 300 cities (Everington 2015). ...
... Afterwards, the brand is effectively communicated to multiple stakeholders through consistent brand communication (Kavaratzis, 2009: 32;Cvijic and Guzijan, 2013: 23). Balakrishnan (2008) is of the opinion that destination branding begins with building a vision considered by all internal and external stakeholders. The vision incorporates natural assets, history, culture, infrastructure and/or facilities (product portfolio). ...
... The rest take a broader perspective. Konecnik and Go (2008), and Morgan et al. (2016) somewhat emphasise the importance of market research in destination branding (target customer, competitor and self-analysis) while the importance of a publicprivate partnership in the planning and implementation of destination branding is highlighted by Rainisto (2011), Hankinson (2006) and Balakrishnan (2008). The scholars also share sentiments on the element of vision as a critical issue in destination branding. ...
Studies show very little evidence to support the concept that slogans and logos are not the only issues destination
marketing companies should focus on in their branding efforts. Therefore, this study aims to figure out auxiliary critical
issues of branding tourism destinations using Gauteng province as the study area. A mono quantitative survey method was
used to validate and factor several issues which were identified in literature. A principal component factor analysis with
Varimax rotation method was also conducted to identify the factors which were addressed by the destination managing
authority. Five critical factors were identified, namely: destination image, market analysis, political stability, interior
configuration and investment potentials. The results of this study therefore substantiated the supposition that branding is a
useful marketing factor which succeeds if various aspects are taken into consideration. Establishing auxiliary critical issues is
therefore vital for Tourism Destination Marketing Organisations (TDMO) as it can contribute knowledge towards the systematic
and comprehensive brand implementation. Given that “product” includes a variety of things, among others provinces, towns,
countries and organisations, application of the study results to a wide array of merchandises cannot be underplayed.
... In the first cluster, called "diplomacy branding, " countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Russia and China are the most active in deploying a place branding strategy, in general (Balakrishnan, 2008), and through sport, in particular (Rofe, 2016). Sport can be wielded through policies and strategies to help the respective nation build a "soft power" (Giulianotti, 2015;Grix & Lee, 2013), by improving one's image and reputation, and by increasing its influence, regionally or internationally (Saberi et al., 2018). ...
The main objective of this conceptual paper was to identify the profiles of countries using a strategy of place branding through sport and group them into clusters. As detailed in the methods section, the focus was voluntarily set on countries from regions which are active in this regard. Three clusters have emerged following the analysis: “diplomacy branding,” “balanced structure” and “economic legacy.” Two strategies of place branding through sport were identified: pursuing a socio-economic legacy or utilizing sport diplomacy to build a soft power. Admittedly, China is asserting itself on the world stage. Meanwhile, countries and territories such as Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, are making a case for themselves. Truly, adaptability and vision can lead to a successful place branding strategy through sport. This is in line with previous research, helping extend the body of knowledge, especially as far as sport diplomacy and soft power are concerned.
