The politics of place branding

This thesis is about the politics of place branding. “Politics” is defined as the processes where a collective brand identity is imagined and constructed and transferred onto society as brand authorities draw support and cooperation from local stakeholders. Place branding has received considerable attention in the past twenty years, and many place authorities now undertake place branding exercises to market themselves and even transform their places. But despite immense enthusiasm, critical perspectives in the literature highlight fundamental challenges which make place branding a complex exercise. One fundamental challenge is the problem of distilling any complex society into a catchy and coherent brand identity. Related to this process of distillation is, then, the fundamental problem of getting locals to recognise themselves in the brand and embrace and accept it when the commercialised brand identity often does not fully reflect how locals view themselves. These fundamental challenges point to how a place brand is part of the social construction of reality in society, and yet the politics of this process of social construction is not well understood in the domain. This thesis argues that as the task of place branding is to constitute a coherent brand that is core to the (complex) society and convince stakeholders of its authenticity and legitimacy to get them to embrace and adopt the brand, place branding is political. Thus, the principal aim of this research project has been to gain an understanding of the politics of constructing and disseminating a place brand that will both appeal to external markets and generate wide acceptance locally. Fieldwork for this research took place in Tasmania in 2019 and focused on Tasmania’s destination branding exercise known as “Go Behind the Scenery”. The study employed qualitative research methods, including responsive interviewing, observation of participants in their local environment, and document analysis. Participants were predominantly Tasmanian brand authorities and persons involved with the strategic work in the “Go Behind the Scenery” brand, as well as local tourism operators with different levels of involvement in the creation and implementation of the “Go Behind the Scenery” brand. The empirical data resulting from these research methods were used to build a relatively holistic understanding of the politics by which the destination brand was constructed and local support mobilised. Through three findings chapters this thesis illuminates different aspects of understanding the politics of place branding: In one chapter (chapter 4) this thesis explores the politics of bringing about a coherent brand that is core to the place when having to deal with the complex reality of society and the diverse interests and agendas of different stakeholders. Through a situated approach, novel in place branding but recognised in anthropology to understand the politics of identity construction and cultural representation, the chapter appreciates the situatedness of the Tasmanian destination brand identity. It highlights how any articulated brand identity is anchored in specific social, cultural, economic, and political contexts and conditions. In another chapter (chapter 5), this thesis explores the politics of cultivating perceived authenticity and legitimacy around the constructed brand locally. The chapter discusses the transfer of ownership of the Tasmanian destination brand from brand authorities to stakeholders, to increase the authenticity and legitimacy of the articulated brand. It highlights how the authenticity of any brand is a social construct and how its legitimacy can be manufactured. In a third chapter (chapter 6) this thesis explores the politics of managing the internalisation process, where local stakeholders embrace, accept, and adopt the brand. It highlights how the Tasmanian destination brand attempted to generate acceptance and adoption by promoting the notion that the brand was created bottom-up. The chapter applies public management lenses to provide a nuanced understanding of the leadership and management processes that are needed to ensure brand adoption locally, conceptualised as a process of seeking and building consensus. Drawing upon these findings, this thesis asserts that any destination brand, like Tasmania’s “Go Behind the Scenery” is generated and socially constructed as brand authorities reflect on, make sense of, interpret, and “invent” society in the brand, and also reintroduce the brand to the local population for them to internalise and adopt. By accentuating the politics of place branding, this thesis offers a framework to highlight the processes of negotiation, persuasion, and engineering behind this process