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Sustainability
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Public Diplomacy, Social Responsibility and Place Branding: A Glocal Perspective
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Public Diplomacy, Social Responsibility and Place Branding: A Glocal Perspective

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 27396

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xavier Ginesta Portet

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Communication, Faculty of Business and Communication, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, 08500 Vic, Spain
Interests: sports diplomacy; place branding; communication and sport; geopolitics and corporate social responsibility; local governance
Dr. Jordi de San Eugenio Vela

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Communication, Faculty of Business and Communication, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, 08500 Vic, Spain
Interests: place branding; public diplomacy; cultural landscapes; humanistic geography

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As a transdisciplinary research field, “place branding” is an evolution of what some authors have understood as “place or city marketing”, “place selling”, and “place promotion”. However, place branding rejects the corporate world in order to address, as positioning axes, the tangible and intangible values of a specific territory and, therefore, of managing its identity. On the one hand, the existing literature highlights how citizens’ engagement, at the grassroots level, has become a key element for the successful conceptualization and implementation of place brands. On the other hand, the current discipline of place branding is totally linked to the political order.

Public administrations become key actors in the development of place branding campaigns: in local, national, and international levels. The crisis of nation-states in a context of global regionalization, the need to adapt public policies to the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations, the need to atract new talent in order to improve regional economies, or the search for a sustainable tourism industry are some examples of the challenges public administrations are facing in the 21st century.

Therefore, it is necessary to analyse the interaction between place branding strategies and the specific design/implementation of public policies. In this vein, the analysis of the synergies among four basic concepts can make a significant and new contribution to this research field: the place brand, its purpose to contribute to sustainable planning and development, its influence on public governance decisions, and finally, its capacity to be central in the definition of public diplomacy programs outside the usual state-centric domain.

The aim of this Special Issue is to strengthen the communalities among these four research areas presented in the previous paragraph. Hence, submissions around the following themes are welcomed:

  • Place branding in the context of multidisciplinary research in Social Sciences;
  • Public diplomacy as a place branding technique, or vice versa?
  • Place branding and/or public diplomacy as a strategy of soft power;
  • Place branding at a grassroots level;
  • The interactions between place branding and sustainable development;
  • Place branding as a tool for place management and sustainable planning;
  • Place branding and its relationship with strategic spatial planning;
  • Place branding and public diplomacy for non-state actors;
  • Place branding: from physical boundaries to mental borders. A new geopolitical order?
  • Sport place branding.

Dr. Xavier Ginesta Portet
Dr. Jordi de San Eugenio Vela
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • place branding
  • sport place branding
  • public diplomacy
  • sports diplomacy
  • cultural diplomacy
  • geopolitics
  • corporate social responsibility
  • local governance
  • sustainable development

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 13185 KiB  
Article
Discussions between Place Branding and Territorial Brand in Regional Development—A Classification Model Proposal for a Territorial Brand
by Giovana Goretti Feijó de Almeida and Lucília Cardoso
Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6669; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116669 - 30 May 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5062
Abstract
There is a clear controversy between the concepts of place branding and territorial brand in the context of regional development, with different meanings being attributed depending on the regions of the world. On the one hand, there are the typological designations attributed to [...] Read more.
There is a clear controversy between the concepts of place branding and territorial brand in the context of regional development, with different meanings being attributed depending on the regions of the world. On the one hand, there are the typological designations attributed to place branding coupled with marketing, and on the other hand, the typologies attributed to local governance and often mixed with the territorial brand but not considering the regional development. This discrepancy creates a gap in the scientific literature for a uniform classification model for the territorial brand. To fill this gap, this study adopts qualitative content analysis, and its main objective is to present a uniform territorial brand classification model. Through a review of the scientific literature on the subject, 18 variables were found to build the theoretical model, which was then applied to the analysis of 60 territorial brands. The results of this study led to the Territorial Brand (TRbrand) Classification Model, with 16 dimensions of analysis and generated 13 concepts. The conclusions reveal a new typological classification model for the territorial brand in regional development, the TRbrand Classification Model, which includes the brand, the territory, the cultural diplomacy, the local governance, the social actors, and the regional development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Diplomacy, Social Responsibility and Place Branding: A Glocal Perspective)
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16 pages, 321 KiB  
Article
Corporate Social Responsibility and Football Clubs: The Value of Environmental Sustainability as a Basis for the Rebranding of Real Betis Balompié in Spain
by Gema Lobillo Mora, Xavier Ginesta and Jordi de San Eugenio Vela
Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13689; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132413689 - 11 Dec 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6941
Abstract
On October 2020, Real Betis Balompié, a football club located in Seville (Andalucia), presented the Forever Green programme, a global programme of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that, through the club’s foundation, enables the entity to position itself in areas of sustainable development and [...] Read more.
On October 2020, Real Betis Balompié, a football club located in Seville (Andalucia), presented the Forever Green programme, a global programme of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that, through the club’s foundation, enables the entity to position itself in areas of sustainable development and environment at a global level. This project was preceded by a sponsorship initiative with the Green Earth project, as well as having been the first football club to sign the United Nations’ Climate Change Now initiative. This article aims to explain the rebranding process of a sports brand based on values linked to sustainability and to assess the impact this rebranding process has had on the fans’ perception of the brand. The methodology used was a combination of in-depth interviews with the executives charged with leading the rebranding process and a convenience survey given to 100 fans to assess the impact of the initiative. The results show that both the entity and the fans agree on a holistic vision of what the CSR is, altruistic in nature, and that its initiatives should be applicable across the entire organisation. However, although the club’s link with values of the environment and sustainability is highly valued by the fans, they still do not feel directly called upon to take part in actions that the club organises. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Diplomacy, Social Responsibility and Place Branding: A Glocal Perspective)
21 pages, 2045 KiB  
Article
Small-Scale Sport Events as Place Branding Platforms: A Content Analysis of Osona’s Projected Destination Image through Event-Related Pictures on Instagram
by Isaac Taberner and Albert Juncà
Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 12255; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112255 - 6 Nov 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3959
Abstract
Over the last few decades, various regions have taken advantage of sport as a tool for place branding. One of the most used strategies has been sporting events, which can help to position the regions and improve their image. With regard to destination [...] Read more.
Over the last few decades, various regions have taken advantage of sport as a tool for place branding. One of the most used strategies has been sporting events, which can help to position the regions and improve their image. With regard to destination image (DI), the penetration and popularity of social media such as Instagram has opened new avenues for place promotion and has turned the users of these platforms into active agents in the promotion of DI. This study aims to explore whether the participants and organisers of small-scale sport events (SSSEs) can contribute to the creation of destination image through the content they post on Instagram. For this purpose, the content of 1315 photographs posted by SSSE participants and organisers on Instagram was analysed. The results show that the photographs related to SSSEs reproduce destination attributes of the region and, consequently, are a source of DI creation. The results also show the importance of the specific moment of the event both in the DI and in the engagement of the posts. This research provides valuable information on the management of Instagram in the context of SSSEs, on the importance of the characteristics of the starting and finishing lines and of the course of the event; and on the desirability of aligning the perspective of the organisers and participants to maximise the potential for the creation of DI through SSSEs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Diplomacy, Social Responsibility and Place Branding: A Glocal Perspective)
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18 pages, 2060 KiB  
Article
Place Branding for Smart Cities and Smart Tourism Destinations: Do They Communicate Their Smartness?
by Assumpció Huertas, Antonio Moreno and Jordi Pascual
Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10953; https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910953 - 1 Oct 2021
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 3799
Abstract
Smart cities and smart tourism destinations integrate technological infrastructures and end-user devices with the aim of providing more satisfying experiences. They generate expectations of superior innovation, greater interactivity, participation and a better image. Therefore, they need to communicate their smartness and include it [...] Read more.
Smart cities and smart tourism destinations integrate technological infrastructures and end-user devices with the aim of providing more satisfying experiences. They generate expectations of superior innovation, greater interactivity, participation and a better image. Therefore, they need to communicate their smartness and include it in their branding. The study analyses the smart content present in the tourist and non-tourist official Twitter accounts of a selection of smart cities and smart destinations, through semantic analysis, in order to find out which smart concepts are strategically branded to create a smart tourism destination image. The results show that the best cities in the ranking for each smart topic are not the ones with highest percentages of tweets on that topic. The study also shows that the number and percentage of tweets that communicate smart aspects on the platforms analyzed are low, showing the smartness is not included in their branding. It has also been observed that, almost all cities communicate or do not communicate the same concepts, evincing an undifferentiated branding strategy. The results of this study are interesting for urban policy-makers and tourism destination marketers to improve their branding. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Diplomacy, Social Responsibility and Place Branding: A Glocal Perspective)
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13 pages, 249 KiB  
Article
Integrated Social Value at Universities: A Guarantee for Public Subsidies
by Núria Arimany-Serrat and Elisenda Tarrats-Pons
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 5975; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115975 - 26 May 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2262
Abstract
The objective of this work was to monetize the integrated social value generated by a university during an academic year to justify the use of public grants received and determine their relationship with the institution’s stakeholders. Monetization allows us to analyze the efficiency [...] Read more.
The objective of this work was to monetize the integrated social value generated by a university during an academic year to justify the use of public grants received and determine their relationship with the institution’s stakeholders. Monetization allows us to analyze the efficiency in the use of received subsidies. The methodology used herein was the polyhedral model, which was applied to a university during the 2017–2018 academic year in order to reflect the financial and social accounting of the institution, its relationship with stakeholders, and its efficiency in economic and social management. The results of the study highlighted the monetization of the activity of the UVic-UCC over the course of 2017–2018, guaranteeing the economic and social efficiency and dynamization of the University, as well as information regarding the return to the Public Administration by the institution and the good use of the grants it received. The monetization of economic transactions and the value variables of stakeholders allowed us to assess the impact of the institution and the added value it created. The findings indicated that the integrated social value of the UVic-UCC in the 2017–2018 academic year was EUR 64,268,260, and this guaranteed the good economic and social management of the institution and the good use of the grants it received. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Diplomacy, Social Responsibility and Place Branding: A Glocal Perspective)
21 pages, 2205 KiB  
Article
Transmission of Place Branding Values through Experiential Events: Wine BC Case Study
by F.J. Cristófol, Elena Cruz-Ruiz and Gorka Zamarreño-Aramendia
Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3002; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063002 - 10 Mar 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4023
Abstract
Sustainability is to promote economic growth that generates equitable wealth for all without harming the environment, becoming one of the objectives that serve as a starting point for many place branding strategies. Cultural heritage, environmental sustainability, and the valorization of the territory are [...] Read more.
Sustainability is to promote economic growth that generates equitable wealth for all without harming the environment, becoming one of the objectives that serve as a starting point for many place branding strategies. Cultural heritage, environmental sustainability, and the valorization of the territory are nowadays unavoidable elements to sustain brands. This research analyzes the transmission of place branding values through experiential events, as a formula for business improvement according to the principles of sustainable development. The research is focused on the case of wine in British Columbia (Canada). The methodology applied was based on a theoretical framework as a starting point for the study. From there, on the one hand, an analysis of the contents of the events carried out by the winegrowers of British Columbia during the harvest months in 2019 and 2020 has been carried out. On the other hand, interviews were conducted with relevant professionals and academics in the sector in order to determine the extent to which they meet the needs of promotion of the site, taking into account the impact on the sustainability of the territory. The results show the link between the events and the territory brand, which is a means to generate growth through wine tourism promoted by the wineries, thus revaluing the winegrowing landscape and, in general, the traditions of the place, among others. There is also a need to look for strategies that seek collaboration between the public and private sectors to improve the creation of integrated events that transmit the branding values of the place. Events are a tool to generate territory branding and can, if well-conceived, contribute to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). In the case study, the results show that the vast majority of events organized by BC wineries aim to promote place branding within the framework of sustainability. A methodology that could be applicable to other territories and countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Diplomacy, Social Responsibility and Place Branding: A Glocal Perspective)
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