From city promotion via city marketing to city branding: Examining urban strategies in 23 Chinese cities

City promotion, city marketing and city branding are all frequently mentioned and examined in the literature on urban governance. Based on the goals and characteristics of different city branding strategies, this study identifies a growing level of sophistication from city promotion via city marketing to city branding and proposes that the...

Economic city branding and stakeholder involvement in China: Attempt of a medium-sized city to trigger industrial transformation

Among known studies of city branding by Chinese megacities to realise urban transformation, there is no explorative study of how smaller Chinese cities engage in city branding and attempt to trigger industrial transformation. In response, this article presents an in-depth case study of city branding processes in a medium-sized Chinese city....

Tracing the Origins of Place Branding Research: A Bibliometric Study of Concepts in Use (1980–2018)

Place branding is seriously studied in various academic disciplines. Its impact on strategic development plays a vital role in processes of sustainable urban transformation. Place branding originated in tourism management and over time its research focus spilled over and evolved in environmental science, urban studies and public administration....