V. V. Kulibanova, T. R. Teor, I. A. Ilyina. Factors of Attractiveness of a Territory Brand for Residents

https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.129.033.202503.424-442
EDN: https://elibrary.ru/ygluzw
УДК / UDC 339.13:332.1 

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to strengthen the competitiveness of regions through the use of marketing and branding tools to extract additional resources. One of the important groups of stakeholders are residents, who ensure the stable and progressive development of the territory. In order to attract and retain valuable residents, as well as ensure their long-term attachment to their place of residence, authorities must constantly improve the quality of life and create a comfortable urban environment. The aim of the study is to identify and analyze the factors that increase the attractiveness of the brand of territories for residents.

Materials and Methods. The empirical basis for the study was provided by ratings and indices related to the study of demographic, social, institutional, political, economic, scientific and technical, communication, reputational, and global development of countries and regions in areas such as standard of living and quality of life, education, healthcare, and the environment; the level of public relations, health, and public safety. A comparative analysis of 98 international and Russian ratings was conducted, including a factor analysis of indicators.

Results. An analysis of existing quality of life assessments revealed factors that reflect residents' attitudes toward the territory. It was established that in order to assess this indicator, it is necessary to focus not on global ratings and indices, which provide generalized results and a rather conditional picture, but on studies limited to national or regional frameworks. Moreover, the narrower the focus of the rating, the more indicative the subjective criteria component will be.

Discussion and Conclusion. The appeal of a place brand is based not only on its positive image, but also on the creation of an attractive living space and long-term attachment to it by citizens. It has been established that the factors contributing to the attractiveness of a place brand for residents are stability, demonstration of successful development, and prosperity in the development of the territory. At the same time, the assessment categories for each of the indicators vary depending on the territory.

Keywords: territory attractiveness, residents, quality of life, territorial branding, attractiveness factors, ratings

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding. The study was carried out in accordance with the program of fundamental scientific research on the topic “Development of theoretical and methodological provisions of scientific and technological development of the economy on the basis of innovation dynamics and the formation of mechanisms for its implementation in the regions” (FMGS-2024-001), No. 124011600045-8.

For citation: Kulibanova V.V., Teor T.R., Ilyina I.А. Factors of Attractiveness of a Territory Brand for Residents. Russian Journal of Regional Ssudies. 2025;33(3):424–442. https://doi.org/10.15507/2413-1407.129.033.202503.424-442

REFERENCES

1. Del Barrio-García S., Prados-Peña M.B. Do Brand Authenticity and Brand Credibility Facilitate Brand Equity? The Case of Heritage Destination Brand Extension. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management. 2019;(13):10–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2019.05.002

2. Santos G.E. de O., Giraldi J. de M.E. Reciprocal Effect of Tourist Destinations on the Strength of National Tourism Brands. Tourism Management. 2017;(61):443–450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.03.011

3. Su L., Huang Y., Hsu M. Unraveling the Impact of Destination Reputation on Place Attachment and Behavior Outcomes among Chinese Urban Tourists. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights. 2018;1(4):290–308. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-11-2017-0026

4. Micera R., Crispino R. Destination Web Reputation as “Smart Tool” for Image Building: the Case Analysis of Naples City-Destination. International Journal of Tourism Cities. 2017;3(4):406–423. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-11-2016-0048

5. Sheresheva M.Y., Oborin M.S., Berezka S.M. Marketing of Small Towns as a Factor of Region Development. Journal of Marketing in Russia and Abroad. 2018;(1):63‒73. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) Available at: https://istina.msu.ru/publications/article/92622818/ (accessed 17.11.2024).

6. Bucher S. Competitiveness of the Russian Federation in the Global Tourism Market. Economy of Region. 2016;12(1):240–250. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) Available at: https://economyofregion.ru/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/18ibuher.pdf (accessed 17.11.2024).

7. Kladou S., Kavaratzis M., Rigopoulou I., Salonika E. The Role of Brand Elements in Destination Branding. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management. 2017;6(4):426–435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2016.06.011

8. Belabas W. Glamour or Sham? Residents’ Perceptions of City Branding in a Superdiverse City: The Case of Rotterdam. Cities. 2023;(137):104323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2023.104323

9. Ripoll Gonzalez L., Gale F. Combining Participatory Action Research with Sociological Intervention to Investigate Participatory Place Branding. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal. 2020;23(1):199–216. https://doi.org/10.1108/QMR-02-2018-0028

10. Zenker S., Braun E., Petersen S. Branding the Destination Versus the Place: The Effects of Brand Complexity and Identification for Residents and Visitors. Tourism Management. 2017;(58):15–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.10.008

11. Gilboa S., Jaffe E. Can one Brand Fit All? Segmenting City Residents for Place Branding. Cities. 2021;(116):103287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103287

12. Insch A., Walters T. Challenging Assumptions about Residents’ Engagement with Place Branding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy. 2018;14(3):152–162. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41254-017-0067-5

13. Alexander M., Hamilton K. Recapturing Place Identification Through Community Heritage Marketing. European Journal of Marketing. 2016;50(7/8):1118–1136. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-05-2013-0235

14. Kulibanova V.V., Teor T.R. Identifying Key Stakeholder Groups for Implementing a Place Branding Policy in Saint Petersburg. Baltic Region. 2017;9(3):128–149. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://doi.org/10.5922/2079-8555-2017-3-7

15. Zenker S., Braun E. Questioning a “One Size Fits All” City Brand: Developing a Branded House Strategy for Place Brand Management. Journal of Place Management and Development. 2017;10(3):270–287. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-04-2016-0018

16. Neto A.Q., Dimmock K., Lohmann G., Scott N. Destination Competitiveness: How does Travel Experience Influence Choice? Current Issues in Tourism. 2020;23(13):1673–1687. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2019.1641070

17. Strandberg C., Ek Styvén M. The Multidimensionality of Place Identity: A Systematic Concept Analysis and Framework of Place-Related Identity Elements. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 2024;(95):102257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102257

18. Strandberg C., Ek Styvén M. An Image Worth a Thousand Words? Expressions of Stakeholder Identity Perspectives in Place Image Descriptions. Journal of Place Management and Development. 2021;14(3):315–330. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-07-2019-0059

19. Isa M.I., Marzbali H.M., Saad S.N. Mediating Role of Place Identity in the Relationship between Place Quality and User Satisfaction in Waterfronts: A Case Study of Penang, Malaysia. Journal of Place Management and Development. 2022;15(2):130–148. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-08-2020-0083

20. Grinchel B.M., Nazarova E.A. Methodological Approach and an Algorithm for Analysing Spatial Development by the Context of Regions’ Competitive Attractiveness and Sustainability. Economics of the North-West: problems and prospects of development. 2020;(2/3):103–114. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=44835023

21. Murayama T., Brown G., Hallak R., Matsuoka K. Tourism Destination Competitiveness: Analysis and Strategy of the Miyagi Zaō Mountains Area, Japan. Sustainability. 2022;14(15):9124. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159124

22. Chen J., Wu J., Wang D., Stantic B. Beyond Static Rankings: A Tourist Experience-Driven Approach to Measure Destination Competitiveness. Tourism Management. 2025;(106):105022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2024.105022

23. Sutriadi R., Safrianty A.A., Ramadhan A. Discussing Cities and Regencies in the Context of Regional Rating System. Promoting Communication, Reaching Sustainable Growth. Procedia Environmental Sciences. 2015;(28):166–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2015.07.023

24. Lopes A.P.F., Muñoz M.M., Alarcón-Urbistondo P. Regional Tourism Competitiveness using the PROMETHEE Approach. Annals of Tourism Research. 2018;(73):1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.annals.2018.07.003

25. Lyakhovenko O.I. National Rating of Quality of Life in Russia: Problem of Conceptualization and Formation Methods (Political Analysis). Theories and Problems of Political Studies. 2022;11(1A):77–91. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.) https://elibrary.ru/download/elibrary_48613880_88369271.pdf

About the authors:

Valeriia V. Kulibanova, Dr.Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor, Senior Researcher, Laboratory for Complex Research of Spatial Development of Regions, Institute for Regional Economic Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (38 Serpukhovskaya St., St. Petersburg 190013, Russian Federation); Professor of the Chair of Applied Economics, Saint Petersburg State Electrotechnical University “LETI” (5 Lit. F Prof. Popov St., St. Petersburg 197022, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6881-2812, Researcher ID: S-8919-2016, Scopus ID: 57205616223, SPIN-code: 8713-1356, valerykul@mail.ru

Tatiana R. Teor, Cand.Sci. (Econ.), Associate Professor of the Chair of Public Relations, Faculty of Humanities, Saint Petersburg State Electrotechnical University “LETI” (5 Lit. F Prof. Popov St., St. Petersburg 197022, Russian Federation), ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9932-2792, Researcher ID: AAT-6216-2020, Scopus ID: 57205614129, SPIN-code: 3651-6550, ttattitt@gmail.com

Irina A. Ilyina, Cand.Sci. (Philol.), Associate Professor of the Chair of Public Relations, Faculty of Humanities, Saint Petersburg State Electrotechnical University “LETI” (5 Lit. F Prof. Popov St., St. Petersburg 197022, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0965-4612, Scopus ID: 57208472685, SPIN-code: 9767-3348, inka4@yandex.ru

Contribution of the authors:

V. V. Kulibanova – formulation of overarching research goals and aims; oversight and leadership responsibility for the research activity planning and execution; development of methodology; preparation of the published work.

T. R. Teor – development of methodology; creation and presentation of the published work by those from the original research group, specifically critical review, commentary or revision.

I. A. Ilyina – data collection and application of statistical formal techniques to analyses data; creation of models; analyses and visualization of obtained results; preparation of the published work.

Availability of data and materials. The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the authors on reasonable request.

The authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 10.04.2025; revised 17.05.2025; accepted 26.05.2025.