Voice of Dwellers – Developing the place brand by listening to the residents (Esitys Global Brand Conferencessa, Berlin 8.-10.5. 2019)

Purpose – Listening to the customers has long been the key phrase and success element in product branding (e.g. Ramsey & Sohi 1997). In this paper, the importance of listening to the existing residents is highlighted in the development of branding a place. The number and heterogeneity of the residents as well as they being scattered in different areas and locations makes it challenging to hear them. The participation of and the dialogue with all stakeholders, including the residents, is extremely important in branding a place. Having said that, the purpose of this working paper is to introduce and analyze ways of listening to the residents, to make them heard. Methodology/Approach – Listening requires place branders to fully attend to, comprehend, and respond to the residents’ comments, requests, ideas and feedback. This can happen in multiple means. Herein, ways of collecting and analyzing feedback is provided. For this, interviews and documentary material are being used. Findings – Findings of the case examples show that listening to the residents can be an asset in developing the place and its brand. Theoretical Implications – As according to the previous literature (see e.g. Braun et al. 2013), little theoretical and empirical evidence has been published on the role of residents in place branding, this working paper attempts for one’s part make an attempt to further the discussion. Practical Implications – It is the obligation of city authorities to provide opportunities for residents to actively contribute to decision making (Braun et al. 2013). Other cities could learn from the examples introduced in the paper. Originality/Value – The role of local people has been studied in destination brand-building process, i.e. from tourism perspective. However, within the field of marketing the voice of residents is an area that calls for more research. Echoing Merrilees et al. (2009), consulting residents more could improve place branding theory and practice. Similarly according to Kavaratzis and Ashworth (2010), if place branding is called on to satisfy the needs and wants of residents, an understanding of how residents perceive their city and how they would like it to be improved, should be developed.