COVID-19 and the participatory place branding impasse: a study of actor agency
Journal of Place Management and Development
ISSN: 1753-8335
Article publication date: 28 July 2023
Issue publication date: 11 October 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on participatory place branding processes and, in particular, on multiple actors’ ability to build agency.
Design/methodology/approach
An in-depth qualitative inquiry of place branding processes in Cardiff (UK) was undertaken during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured (online) interviews with 28 city representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors are analysed using three-stage conceptual coding.
Findings
Five transitions in the meaning-making and engagement processes at the nexus of participatory place branding are identified: heightening value of the local environment; building and sharing local knowledge; embedding a sense of community into relational networks; innovating engagement channels; and blurring of roles and responsibilities. Combined, these demonstrate a cultivating place (brand) attachment and evolving logics around participation.
Research limitations/implications
Transitions in actor agency require monitoring over time, drawing on additional studies, wider samples and multidisciplinary frameworks.
Practical implications
Local knowledge and multi-actor networks are increasingly viewed as valuable assets, providing legitimacy for those in possession of these resources and for the brand. Practitioners, policy makers and community representatives should support innovative ways to involve and learn from local actors, including those not currently active across the place brand web.
Originality/value
Antecedents to actor agency are investigated, highlighting that during a period of disruption actors gained legitimacy for their participation by emphasising the value attached to localities, building place (brand) attachment and drawing on blurred place branding boundaries.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Declaration statement: This paper is based in part on research conducted during an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Postdoctoral Fellowship. The author does not have any financial or non-financial interests or affiliations to disclose connected to the research. All research was approved and adhered to principles set out by Cardiff University’s ethical approval committee. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Citation
Reynolds, L. (2023), "COVID-19 and the participatory place branding impasse: a study of actor agency", Journal of Place Management and Development, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 561-576. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-10-2022-0099
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited