The aim of the chapter is to assess and compare the differences in the approach of European and Slovak cities to city branding with focus on utilisation of digital tools of marketing communication tools. The concept of city branding has developed through several stages and nowadays, it is strongly affected by utilization of digital tools. The empirical research verifies the current approaches to urban branding in 13 European and eight Slovak cities which are the administrative and cultural centres of the regions and have the best potential for applying the concept of city branding in Slovakia. By questionnaire survey, the authors have verified in depth the defined approaches to city branding in eight Slovak cities. For inspiration, the process of city branding in one of the best ranked European cities—Amsterdam—is presented. In the conclusion, the chapter defines the measures that should be taken to implement city branding as a comprehensive, systematic and targeted process aimed at shaping the positive image of the city in order to promote it on the market and to ensure comprehensive city development.
Top2. Theoretical Approaches To City Branding
In the context of increasing competition between cities that are subject to comparison and competition, the city brand has become one of the most important elements of their differentiation and recognition (Nogué, 1999; Anholt, 2007; Zenker et al., 2017; Lucarelli, 2018; Ma, 2019; Rinaldi et al., 2021; Oliva et al., 2022).
Cities should focus on branding for three main reasons. The first reason is the importance of connecting the city with the external environment and communicating the city with this environment in a clear, unambiguous, coordinated way so that the general perception of the city among the target groups coincides with the perception of the city itself. The second reason is the fact that the city brand is a relatively significant factor influencing the sustainable development and competitiveness of the city. The third reason is related to the value of the city brand, which has recently become crucial. The city brand is an asset to be managed, valued, and protected in a focused and coordinated way (Anholt, 2007; McCabe, 2017; Frig, Sorsa, 2018; Alexander et al, 2020).
In today's rapidly changing and uncertain times, city branding has become essential for the sustainable development and success of a city in a competitive environment and provides several advantages. The advantages include connecting and developing economic, business, sport and cultural activities, promoting the city's economic and political interests in the internal and external environment, stimulating stronger partnership relations, attracting talent, students and skilled labour, strengthening investor confidence, attracting inward investment, decreasing unemployment and increasing the standard of living of the population and, last but not least, the overall competitiveness of the city (Jaffe & Nebenzahl, 2001; Anholt, 2007, 2014; Hakala & Lemmetyinen, 2011; Vaňová et al., 2017; Giobanardi et al, 2018; Alexander, 2020).
Moreover, the current broad international debate on city branding is not about seeking these advantages, but about answering the question of how to make branding deliver the aforementioned advantages.