Place brand communication as aspirational talk-further exploring the constitutive model of communication

Cecilia Cassinger

doi:10.15581/003.31.4.79-88

Cecilia Cassinger

(Login required)

PDF (

198)

View in DADUN

Published: Oct 1, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15581/003.31.4.79-88

How to Cite

Cassinger, C. (2018). Place brand communication as aspirational talk-further exploring the constitutive model of communication. Communication & Society, 31(4), 79-88. https://doi.org/10.15581/003.31.4.79-88

Authors

Cecilia Cassinger

(Login required)

Department of Strategic Communication.

Abstract

287

This paper introduces the concept of aspirational talk to examine the constitutive features of place brand communication. Aspirational talk builds on a performative view of communication and is characterised by a gap between future-oriented visionary talk and concrete action. The study explores place brand communication as aspirational talk through a qualitative case study of how place branding is used to drive changed in two Swedish cities. Two ideological different aspirations are identified and contrasted. It is argued that aspirational talk helps us to further understand the gap between the political visions and ideals that underpin place brand communication and residents’ everyday life in the city.

References

Ashworth, G. & Kavaratzis, M. (2009). Beyond the logo: Brand management for cities. Journal of Brand Management, 16(8), 520-531.

Balmer, J. M. & Greyser, S. A. (2006). Corporate marketing: Integrating corporate identity, corporate branding, corporate communications, corporate image and corporate reputation. European Journal of Marketing, 40(7/8), 730-741

Boisen, M., Terlouw, K. & van Gorp, B. (2011). The selective nature of place branding and the layering of spatial identities. Journal of Place Management and Development, 4(2), 135-147.

Braun, E., Kavaratzis, M. & Zenker, S. (2013). My city–my brand: the different roles of residents in place branding. Journal of Place Management and Development, 6(1), 18-28.

Carey, J. (1989). Communication as culture: Essays on media and culture. Winchester, MA: Unwin Hyman.

Cayla, J. & Eckhardt, G. M. (2007). Asian brands without borders: regional opportunities and challenges. International Marketing Review, 24(4), 444-456.

Christensen, L. T. & Langer, R. (2009). Public relations and the strategic use of transparency: Consistency, hypocrisy, and corporate change. In Toth, E., Heath, R. L. (Eds.), Rhetorical and critical approaches to public relations (pp. 129-53). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Christensen, L. T., Morsing, M. & Thyssen, O. (2013). CSR as aspirational talk. Organization, 20(3), 372-393.

Cooren, F. & Taylor, J. R. (1997). Organization as an effect of mediation: Redefining the link between organization and communication. Communication Theory, 7(3), 219-259.

Craig, R. T. (1999). Communication theory as a field. Communication theory, 9(2), 119-161.

Dinnie, K. (Ed.) (2011). City branding: Theory and cases. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Guardian, The (2017). ‘Sweden, who would believe this?’: Trump cites non-existent terror attack. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/19/swedentrump-cites-non-existent-terror-attack, accessed 2017-09-10.

HD (2015). Kommunen skonmalar bilden av Helsingborg. Retrieved from https:// www.hd.se/2015-01-23/kommunen-skonmalar-bilden-av-helsingborg, accessed 2017- 10-10.

Hudson, S., Cárdenas, D., Meng, F. & Thal, K. (2017). Building a place brand from the bottom up: A case study from the United States. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 23(4), 365-377.

Kalandides, A. (2011a). City marketing for Bogotá: a case study in integrated place branding. Journal of Place Management and Development, 4(3), 282-291.

Kalandides, A. (2011b). The problem with spatial identity: revisiting the “sense of place”. Journal of Place Management and Development, 4(1), 28-39.

Kavaratzis, M. (2004). From city marketing to city branding: Towards a theoretical framework for developing city brands. Place Branding, 1(1), 58-73.

Kavaratzis, M. & Ashworth, G. J. (2006). City branding: An effective assertion of identity or a transitory marketing trick? Place Branding, 2(3), 183-194.

Kavaratzis, M. (2009). Cities and their brands: Lessons from corporate branding. Place branding and public diplomacy, 5(1), 26-37.

Kavaratzis, M. (2012). From “necessary evil” to necessity: stakeholders’ involvement in place branding. Journal of Place Management and Development, 5(1), 7-19.

Kavaratzis, M. & Hatch, M. J. (2013). The dynamics of place brands: An identity-based approach to place branding theory. Marketing theory, 13(1), 69-86.

Melewar, T. C. & Jenkins, E. (2002). Defining the corporate identity construct. Corporate reputation review, 5(1), 76-90.

Oii, Can-Seng. (2011). Paradoxes of city branding and societal changes. In K. Dinnie (Ed.), City branding: theory and cases (pp. 54-61). London: Palgrave McMillan.

Ren, C. & Blichfeldt, B. S. (2011). One clear image? Challenging simplicity in place branding.

Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 11(4), 416-434.

Schoeneborn, D. & Trittin, H. (2013). Transcending transmission: Towards a constitutive perspective on CSR communication. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 18(2), 193-211.

Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech acts: An essay in the philosophy of language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Spiggle, S. (1994). Analysis and interpretation of qualitative data in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 21(3), 491-503.

Swedish Migration Agency (2018). Sweden is the third largest recipient country of quota refugees. Retrieved from https://www.migrationsverket.se/English/About-theMigration-Agency/News-archive/News-archive-2018/2018-02-20-Sweden-is-thethird-largest-recipient-country-of-quota-refugees.html.

Therkelsen, A. & Halkier, H. (2008). Contemplating place branding umbrellas. The case of coordinated national tourism and business promotion in Denmark. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 8(2), 159-175.

Topping, A. (2017). ‘Sweden, who would believe this?’: Trump cites non-existent terror attack. The Guardian, 19 Feb. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/usnews/2017/feb/19/sweden-trump-cites-non-existent-terror-attack.

Trueman, M., Cook, D. & Cornelius, N. (2008). Creative dimensions for branding and regeneration: Overcoming negative perceptions of a city. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 4(1), 29-44.

Vanolo, A. (2008). The image of the creative city: Some reflections on urban branding in Turin. Cities, 25, 370-382.

Zenker, S. & Seigis, A. (2012). Respect and the city: The mediating role of respect in citizen participation. Journal of Place Management and Development, 5(1), 20-34.

Zenker, S. & Erfgen, C. (2014). Let them do the work: a participatory place branding approach. Journal of Place Management and Development, 7(3), 225-234.

Metrics

Details

Issue

Vol 31 No 4 (2018) + Special Issue: 30th Anniversary

Section

Articles

RIGHTS TRANSFER

By submitting the article for evaluation and subsequent publication in Communication & Society, the AUTHOR exclusively assigns the rights of public communication, reproduction, distribution and sale for commercial exploitation to the University of Navarra through its Publications Service, for the maximum legal term in force -the entire life of the author and seventy years after his death or declaration of death-, in any country, and in any of the current and future edition modalities, both in print and electronic versions.

In the event that the article is not accepted for publication , this transfer of rights lapses with the communication of the refusal to the AUTHOR.

The AUTHOR affirms that the article is unpublished, that it has not been sent simultaneously to another publication medium and that the rights have not been transferred exclusively previously. He is responsible to the University of Navarra through its Publications Service for the authorship and originality of his work, as well as for all pecuniary charges that may arise for the University of Navarra through its Publications Service, in favor of third parties due to actions, claims or conflicts arising from the breach of obligations by the AUTHOR.

Article Sidebar

Main Article Content