The Cultural Capital of Europe project aims to highlight and promote culture of a specific region in Europe during a calendar year. Umeå was chosen to become the Capital of Culture in 2014 and highlight the northern corner of Europe. A new “Open source” approach with the objective to increase participation and co-creation of different actors in the cultural capital year was introduced. This study examines media descriptions of the Samis and alternative cultural groups’ participation in the Cultural Capital year. Both quantitative and qualitative methodological tools were used to analyse descriptions of these groups’ in digital articles from local newspapers. The findings indicate of widespread discontent with how these groups were represented in the Cultural Capital year. The Samis were described as being excluded from planning but included in the implementation of the programme. The alternative cultural groups were instead described as being included in the planning but excluded from participation in the programme year. The relations between these groups and the organisers were analysed in terms of hegemony. The results indicate the relations being in balance at the beginning of the year but started to weaken at an early stage.

Public place branding in municipalities is increasing in frequency and consists of multiple stakeholders, which enhances the role of communication in this type of project. The research question is how does project communication impact risk management and goal achievement in public place branding projects? This is answered by the main purpose of this study, which is to increase the understanding of the project communication’s role in risk management and goal achievement in public place branding projects. In order to gain this understanding the thesis has had a qualitative case study with an inductive approach. The focus of the theoretical framework is including place branding, project management, strategic alignment, goal achievement, risk management, and project communication. As a case for the study the project Destination South Lapland has been chosen. The project aims to establish a destination enterprise for the region, and includes four municipalities from the counties of Västerbotten and Jämtland. The focus has been to investigate differences in perceptions and handling regarding goals and risks between the strategic and operational level, and how communication is interrelating these areas. The main conclusion that we can draw from the study is that project success factors are based on the projects goals and that project communication of goals, roles, and risks has an impact on goal achievement. The study shows that project communication is what interlinks the success factors and thus enables public place branding projects to achieve its goals. Project risk management and risk assessment was also found as success factors in public place branding projects. Project communication was therefore also found to incorporate risk management into the project strategy, which facilitates public place branding projects in achieving their goals.

Forskningsproblem -  Hur kan kommunikationen av Luleås platsvarumärke utformas för att öka möjligheten att behålla flera studenter i kommunen efter avslutad examen för att öka kompetensförsörjningen? Metod - En litteratursammanställning genomfördes i syfte att undersöka tidigare skriven litteratur inom ämnet. Ett teoretiskt ramverk sammanställdes därefter och har fungerat som en grund för intervjuguiden men också för upplägget på empiri- och analyskapitlen. Datainsamlingen genomfördes i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer med studenter från två olika utbildningskategorier vid Luleå tekniska universitet, civilekonomer och civilingenjörer.   Resultat - Studenter från utbildningskategorierna civilekonom och civilingenjör har en relativt gemensam syn på Luleå som en plats att bo och jobba på. Majoriteten av respondenterna  kan inte tänka sig bo kvar i Luleå efter avslutad examen. För att förmedla Luleås platsvarumärke till studenter föredrar majoriteten av båda utbildningskategorierna, civilekonom och civilingenjör, Instagram som den huvudsakliga kommunikationskanalen men även Facebook. Teoretiska implikationer - Denna studie har bidragit till kunskap om hur invånare ur ett intressentperspektiv kan användas för att öka förståelsen mellan kopplingen platsimage och avsedda målgrupper. Studien bidrar även med kunskap inom place branding och miljömässig hållbarhet.  Praktiska implikationer - Studiens resultat är användbart vid utformningen och utvecklingen av kommunikationen för Luleås platsvarumärke i syfte att öka möjligheten att behålla fler studenter i kommunen efter avslutad examen för att öka kompetensförsörjningen. Mer specifikt ett utökat samarbete mellan Luleå tekniska universitet, Luleå kommun och Luleå näringsliv med fokus att skapa en gemensam, ärlig och kreativ platskommunikation av Luleå som stad. / Research problem - How can the communication of Luleå's place brand be designed to increase the possibility of retaining more students in the municipality after graduation in order to increase the supply of skills? Method - A literature review was carried out with the aim of examining previously written literature within the subject. A theoretical framework was then compiled and has served as a basis for the interview guide but also for the layout of the empirical and analysis chapters. The data collection was carried out in the form of semi-structured interviews with students from two different educational categories at Luleå University of Technology, students in business and economics and civil engineers. Results - Students from the education categories business and economics and engineering have a relatively common view of Luleå as a place to live and work. The majority of respondents cannot imagine staying in Luleå after completing their degree. To convey Luleå's place brand to students, the majority of both education categories, business and economics and civil engineers prefer Instagram as the main communication channel but also Facebook.  Theoretical implications - This study has contributed to knowledge about how residents from a stakeholder perspective can be used to increase understanding between the connection between place image and intended target groups. The study also contributes knowledge in place branding and environmental sustainability. Practical implications - The results of the study are useful in the design and development of the communication for Luleå's place brand in order to increase the possibility of retaining more students in the municipality after completing the degree in order to increase the supply of skills. More specifically, an expanded collaboration between Luleå University of Technology, Luleå municipality and Luleå business with a focus on creating a common, honest and creative place communication of Luleå as a city.

It is increasingly important for cities to attract visitors, potential new residents and businesses. Jönköping is one of the cities working with place marketing, a strategy that intends to mediate a positive image of the city, in order to accomplish just that. People often have a need to preserve the memory of a trip into something tangible. Anyone visiting Jönköping encounters a souvenir choice, much like the one in many other cities. Linked to the idea of positive place marketing, our work aims to investigate how we as product developers can create a product that en¬hances the image of Jönköping based on the thought that all residents are con¬sig¬nors. Accordingly, we develop three different products from the residents' own image of the city. Our research questions are: Based on the photographs, what image of Jönköping do the ambassadors mediate of their own city? As designers, what in Jönköping's history versus the image of Jönköping today, can we seize in order to give products for visitors a sense of authenticity? As designers, how can we use knowledge of place branding in the development of souvenirs? We performed interviews within three different aspects: history, souvenirs and place branding, all focused on the city of Jönköping. The interviews and a work-shop formed the basis for the further design process. This work has resulted in three products: the matchbox Det nya Jönköping i en historisk förpackning, highlights an important part in the city's history and becomes a conversation piece. Lek dig genom Jönköping want to show visitors what the city offers, and distinguish it from others, from the on-site. Detaljerna gör staden is an every¬day object and function can get residents to begin to discover the details of their own city. Through the use of knowledge and theories of place branding and souvenirs, we would argue that we have found a way to actually catch the residents' image of the city in a number of products. We also believe that it would be able to apply this type of project in other locations to create more authentic and at the same time innovative souvenirs. / Det blir allt viktigare för städer att locka till sig besökare, potentiella nya invånare och näringsliv.  Jönköping är en av de städer som arbetar med plats­marknads­föring, en strategi som handlar om att förmedla en positiv bild av staden, i syfte att åstadkomma just detta. Människor har ofta ett behov av att bevara minnet av en resa i något materiellt. Den som besöker Jönköping möts av ett souvenirutbud likt det i många andra städer. Kopplat till idén om positiv platsmarknadsföring syftar vårt arbete till att undersöka hur vi som produktutvecklare kan skapa en produkt som stärker bilden av Jönköping utifrån tanken om att alla stadens invånare är avsändare. I detta tar vi fram tre förslag på produkter utifrån Jönköpingsbornas egen bild av staden. Våra frågeställningar är: Utifrån fotografierna, vilken bild av Jönköping förmedlar ambassadörerna av sin egen stad? Vad kan vi som designers ta till vara på i Jönköpings historia kontra bilden av dagens Jönköping för att ge produkter avsedda för besökare autenticitet? På vilket sätt kan vi som designers använda kunskaper inom place branding vid utveckling av souvenirer? Vi har genomfört samtalsintervjuer utifrån tre olika aspekter: historia, souvenirer och platsmarknadsföring, alla med fokus på staden Jönköping. Intervjuerna och en workshop låg till grund för den fortsatta designprocessen. Arbetet har resulterat i tre produkter: tändsticksasken Det nya Jönköping i en historisk förpackning, lyfter fram en viktig del i stadens historia och blir en conversation piece. Spelet Lek dig genom Jönköping vill visa besökaren vad staden erbjuder och särskiljer den från andra, under tiden den används på plats. Underläggen som namngetts Detaljerna gör staden har en tydlig vardagsfunktion och kan få in­vån­ar­na att börja upptäcka detaljer i sin egen stad. Genom att använda oss av kunskaper och teorier inom place branding och souve­nirer vill vi hävda att vi har hittat en väg för att faktiskt fånga Jönköpings­bornas bild av staden i ett antal produkter. Vi tror också att man skulle kunna applicera denna typ av projekt på andra platser för att skapa mer autentiska och samtidigt nyskapande souvenirer.

Basée sur une recherche-intervention effectuée dans le cadre d’une thèse CIFRE au sein l’association « Auvergne Nouveau Monde » (ANM), l’objectif de cette thèse consiste à identifier, comprendre et évaluer les déterminants sur lesquels repose la participation des parties prenantes (PP) à la démarche de marketing territorial de la marque de territoire ANM. Ressaisis dans les champs de la démocratie participative et du marketing territorial, les enjeux de la participation des PP d’une marque de territoire sont explicités ainsi que leurs fondements conceptuels. Puis, le terrain de recherche et la démarche méthodologique d’étude (7 études) sont exposés : cette dernière est constituée, d’un travail de contextualisation de la participation des PP de la démarche d’ANM (1, 2, 3, 4) puis, d’une étude qualitative réalisée auprès de 25 entretiens d’adhérents de l’association (5), et, enfin, du test par l'approche PLS (Partial Least Squares) de deux modèles d’équations structurelles (études 6 (adhérents) et 7 (ambassadeurs citoyens auvergnats)) des déterminants de la participation des PP de la marque ANM à la démarche de marketing territorial mise en œuvre. Enfin, les résultats de la validation des deux modèles d’équations structurelles (295 répondants) sont présentés puis discutés afin d’en délimiter les apports, les limites, les implications managériales et les perspectives de recherche. Les résultats obtenus démontrent que l’attachement à la marque ANM a une influence positive sur la participation des PP étudiées ; corrélativement, les résultats indiquent que cet attachement à la marque est influencé positivement par le sentiment d’appartenance régionale, l’implication organisationnelle (adhérents) et la satisfaction à l’endroit de l’association ANM porteuse de la marque. / Based on a research-intervention carried out as part of a CIFRE thesis within the association "Auvergne Nouveau Monde" (ANM), the objective of this thesis is to identify, understand and evaluate the different determinants on which lies the participation of the stakeholders in the place marketing process of the "ANM" brand of territory. In order to do this, in a first part, in the fields of participatory democracy and place marketing, the meaning, scope and stakes of the participation of the stakeholders of a brand of territory are explained as well as their conceptual foundations. Then, in a second part, the field of research and the methodological approach to study the participation of the stakeholders of the brand "Auvergne Nouveau Monde" are exposed: the latter consists, first, of a contextualization work on the participation of stakeholders in the ANM place marketing approach and then, secondly, of a qualitative study carried out through 25 interviews with members of the association ANM, and, thirdly, the PLS (Partial Least Squares) approach to two models of structural equations (a model for the members of the ANM association and a model for the brand ambassadors, citizens of Auvergne) of the determinants of the participation of ANM brand stakeholders in the implemented place marketing approach. In a third part, the results of the validation of the two structural equation models of the determinants of participation based on a total sample of 295 respondents are presented and then discussed in order to delineate both the inputs, limitations, managerial implications and research prospects. The results show that attachment to the ANM brand has a positive influence on the participation of the stakeholders studied; correspondingly, the results indicate that this attachment to the brand is positively influenced by the feeling of regional belonging, organizational involvement (for members) and satisfaction with the ANM brand association

This master thesis aims to contribute to the available literature on how place branding can be used for enhancing local identity and how this affects audience participation, in particular: engagement on social media. The case of two campaigns of the Swedish cooperative bank Länsförsäkringar are used to demonstrate the initial hypothesis: local identity and place branding use in campaigns as part of a corporate branding strategy increases followers’ engagement and participation on social media. To that end, essential theoretical concepts in order to understand the research approach and methods are explained in the following sections. For this thesis, the encoding/decoding theory by Stuart Hall is used as theoretical framework, along with some other key theoretical aspects such as identity theory, globalization and place branding.Two different campaigns of Länsförsäkringar are analysed following a mixed approach by carrying out a visual semiotic analysis of the materials (mainly photographies, posters or videos) with an autoethnographic and constructivist perspective, and a social media analysis by looking at the engagement that those campaigns generated on Länsförsäkringar’s social media. The findings show that the use of local identities and local place branding as a corporate branding strategy impacts positively on some types of social media engagement by appealing to the online community’s common origin, heritage and geography.

Notre recherche s’inscrit au cœur du phénomène nouveau des marques de territoires. Nous avons abordé cet engouement territorial en le situant au cœur des pratiques de marketing territorial. Cette discipline a retenu notre attention pour différentes raisons : il s’agit d’une discipline jeune et énormément critiquée pour son « insuffisance de connaissances ». Mais il s’agit également d’une discipline en attente d’une nouvelle structuration. Au cœur de cette étude, nous avons déterminé les liens très forts unissant les pratiques de marketing territorial et l’attractivité. Nous nous sommes donc positionnés en faveur d’une analyse de ce phénomène nouveau, que sont les marques de territoire, afin de le matérialiser, le décortiquer et surtout de comprendre sa place dans les logiques de marketing appliquées au territoire. Nous avons retenu deux cas d’études de cette pratique : Only Lyon et Bretagne. / This research joins at the heart of the new phenomenon of place branding. We approached this territorial craze by placing it in the heart of the practices of place marketing. This discipline caught our attention for various reasons: it is about a young discipline and enormously criticized for its " insufficiency of knowledge ". But it is also about a discipline awaiting a new structuring. At the heart of this research, we determined the very strong links uniting the practices of place marketing and the attractiveness. We positioned in favour of an analysis of this new phenomenon, that are place brands, and especially to understand its place in the applied logics of place marketing. We have analyzed two places brands cases : Only Lyon and Bretagne.

Syftet med denna fallstudie är att undersöka på vilket sätt VisitSweden arbetar med Sveriges varu­märke mot internationella turister och besökare, samt hur de samarbetar med besöksnäringen för att stärka varumärket Sverige. Metodmässigt har vi genomfört en fallstudie på VisitSweden vars uppdrag är att marknadsföra Sverige till internationella turister och besökare. Vi har genom­fört kvalitativa intervjuer med marknadschefen på VisitSweden och aktörer i besöksnäringen. Fallstudien visar att VisitSweden i samarbete med NSU (Nämnden för Sverigefrämjande i Utlandet) arbetar med en strategi för Nation branding. Detta för att stärka Sverigebilden. Målet är att skapa en positiv bild av Sverige som lockar till intresse som ska gynna alla näringar. Medlemmarna i NSU har kommit fram till en gemensam målgrupp. Utifrån denna målgrupp har VisitSweden tagit fram två egna målgrupper. En i NSU gemensamt framtagen kommunikations­plattform ligger till grund för att alla ska kommunicera samma enade bild av Sverige. VisitSweden arbetar med integrerad kommunikation i arbetet att stärka varumärket Sverige. De arbetar tillsammans med besöksnäringen för att stärka Sverigebilden och öka turismexporten. / The purpose with this case study is to examine in what ways VisitSweden works with the brand of Sweden towards international tourists and visitors and how they cooperate with the tourism industry to strengthen the brand of Sweden. We have done a case study at VisitSweden whos mission is to market Sweden to international tourists and visitors. We have done qualitative interviews with the Head of Marketing at VisitSweden and organisations in the tourism industry in Sweden. The case study shows that VisitSweden togheter with NSU (The board for promoting Sweden abroad) are working with a strategy for Nation branding to strengthen the image of Sweden. The goal is to create a positive image of Sweden that shall benefit all industries in Sweden. The members in NSU have agreed upon a mutual target group. From that target group VisitSweden have formed two target groups for themselves. The communication platform that NSU has created is the foundation for communicating a consistent image of Sweden. VisitSweden works with integrated communication in the process of strengthening the brand of Sweden. They work togheter with the tourism industry to strengthen the image of Sweden and to increase the tourism export.

The neighboring towns of Haparanda and Tornio are divided by the border between Finland and Sweden in the southern part of the Torne River. The two cities have worked closely together for the past decades and have in recent times virtually “grown together”. In recent years the cities have arranged a joint new year’s celebration called Happy New Twice. The purpose of this thesis is to study potential challenges that arose during the planning and execution of Happy New Twice 2019; and if intercultural challenges can have an effect on the interaction across the border. The empirical material is based on three semi-structured interviews that later were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. To examine the participants’ experiences working with Happy New Twice, the theoretical framework of this thesis is drawn from the approach of Nederveen Pieterse’s theory Globalization as Hybridization, Iben Jensen’s analytical tools for intercultural communication, Jarosław Jańczak’s studies on town twinning in Europe and Philip Kotler’s marketing theory place branding. The results show that while the interaction across borders is working fine between the two cities, there are still challenges with joint events, such as Happy New Twice. Even though Happy New Twice is a popular event, it can be difficult to make the event feel mutually acknowledging of both cities. There are also external factors such as the time difference and the covid-19 pandemic that can affect events like Happy New Twice in the future. Despite these challenges, HaparandaTornio has used the multiculturalism of the area in a positive aspect and the cities have been able to use it as part of their place branding.

På grund av globaliseringen har konkurrensen mellan städer på senare tid ökat. Platser kan differentiera sig genom att arbeta med uppmärksamhet, inflytande, marknader, företag och evenemang. Detta medför att platsernas roll har förändrats där det riktas ett rampljus mot konstruktionen av platsvarumärke. Politiska dimensioner och platsens intressenter har betydande roller för ett starkt närvarande platsvarumärket. Genom att undersöka de tre begreppen; platsidentitet, platskultur och platsbild kan komplexiteten i konstruktionen av platsvarumärke tydliggöras. En fallstudie tillämpas för att studera platsvarumärke. Detta fall består av platsen Rosenlund i Göteborg där avgränsningen är projektet “Ett Blomstrande Rosenlund”. För att synliggöra konstruktionen av platsvarumärke tillämpas en identitets-baserad platsvarumärkes modell. Denna modell erbjuder ett sätt att se på platsidentitet som en dynamisk process. Med hjälp av modellen ges ett försök till att se hur de politiska dimensionerna, platsens intressenter samspelar med platsidentiteten, platskulturen och platsbilden. Empirin och analysen visar fragment av den komplexitet som råder i omformningen av ett platsvarumärke. Slutresultatet visar att det fanns en politisk närvaro under hela omvandlingprocessen. Här ser vi även en skiftning av de interna intressenternas inflytande på platsidentiteten. Omvandlingsarbetet visar tydliga tendenser att platsidentitet är en dynamisk process. Dock uppdagas det förutsatta och oförutsedda effekter som konstant influerar platsvarumärket. Här kan praktiken utnyttja erfarenheter och forskning i samband med omvandling av platsidentitet, varpå forma ett effektivare platsvarumärke. / The effect of globalization has tightened the competition between cities. Places are able to differentiate from another through attention, influence, markets, businesses and events. This affects the role of places and stresses the importance of place branding. Political dimensions and stakeholders are critical factors in the construction of place brand. Place identity, place culture and place image are the three elements of place branding which can unravel the complexity of the construction. Case studies are used to assess the complexity of a place. Whereas this case comprises the location Rosenlund in Gothenburg where the project “Ett Blomstrande Rosenlund” is the demarcation of this research. An identity-based model for place branding is used as an analyze tool to visualize how the elements and factors influence each other. This model presents place identity as a dynamic process. The empirical analysis shows fragments of the complexity that exists in the transformation of a place brand. As a conclusion a political presence throughout the transformation process is detected. As well as a shift of influence of the place identity between the internal stakeholders are discovered. The process shows a tendency of place identity as a dynamic process. In the transformation process there are presupposed and unforeseen effects that constantly influences the place brand. Experiences and research within the field of place identity can be used in practise, whereas to create a more effective place brand.The thesis is presented in Swedish.