Foodscapes: bake, grow, share, eat

Foodscapes Exhibition Project Information & Background Idea

Nation Branding: Issues, Insights and Impacts

We are honoured to present this special issue of Corporate Reputation Review devoted to the increasingly studied field of nation branding. This special issue is intended to contribute to the ongoing production of high-quality academic research in the nation branding domain. It is interesting to note that several emerging issues have been investigated by researchers in this field. The notion of nation brand personality has been examined by three papers published in this issue. Aspects of co-branding, indigenous identity and country image have also emerged as areas of interests by academics around the world. In this special issue, we have also unfolded insights and impacts into areas such as, lead- ership, mega-events, government compe- tences, tourism and media

Exploring the dimensions of place branding: an application of the ICON model to the branding of Toronto

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the place branding dimensions of a city undergoing a concerted effort to build a distinctive brand for itself. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative, exploratory approach is adopted, applying the ICON model of place branding to the multistakeholder city branding strategy of Toronto. A combination of interviews, participant observation, content analysis and professional reflection inform the study. Findings: Toronto’s emergence as a creative city with global standing has been achieved, in part, through a holistic and collaborative approach that is integrated, contextualized, organic and new. Practical implications: Place and destination promoters are offered a practical application of the ICON model of place branding, informing future initiatives and offering insight into good practice. Originality/value: Viewed through the lens of the ICON model, the paper provides insights into the collaborative and innovate practices that characterize effective city branding

Connected Communities Foodscapes

FOODSCAPES was an AHRC Connected Communities project (2013) that explored the use of art as a way of opening up discussion about food. Participants in the project included Knowle West Media Centre, The Matthew Tree Project (TMTP), the Edible Landscapes Movement (ELM), UWE Bristol, University of Southampton, the James Hutton Institute and Paul Hurley (artist-in-residence). Together, we explored how arts intervention and cultural engagement can help address food, food poverty, and sustainable communities. As co-designed action research, the project also examined how arts intervention can enhance interchange between community organisations and research institutions. Throughout Foodscapes there was an attempt to integrate the research questions, arts programming and evaluative activities into the actual process of the work, so that these activities could become entwined and, it is hoped, more meaningful for all involved

The interplay between SME owner-managers and the brand-as-a-person

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the largely unexplored conceptualisation of the brand-as-a-person metaphor in small-tomedium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by examining its potential relation with the SME owner-manager, the pathways to its creation and development and the intuitive nature of this relationship. Design/methodology/approach – A grounded theory approach was used, and data were collected through a set of 36 semi-structured interviews with 30 SME owner-managers in various sectors in Mexico. Findings – The results indicate that SME owner-managers intuitively humanise their brands. The study revealed four pathways to develop the brand-as-a-person metaphor in the SME context: through personality traits, tastes and preferences, abilities and knowledge and values, all suggesting that SMEs’ brand-as-a-person metaphors are largely an extension of their owner-managers. Research limitations/implications – The paper presents a theoretical framework that illustrates the four pathways to the creation and development of brand-as-a-person that are derived from the brand’s relationship with the SME owner-manager. The results of cross-industry semistructured interviews are limited to a single culture context. Practical implications – SME owner-managers should first undertake an introspective personal assessment of their intuitive and conscious decision-making, as SME owner-managers often make decisions in an intuitive way. The results suggest that they should act in a more conscious, responsible and rational way when formulating their brand strategies. Originality/value – This is the first study to clarify the profound influence of SME owner-managers’ personal characteristics, including personality traits, tastes and preferences, abilities and knowledge and values, on the brand-as-a-person metaphor. This study also confirms the intuitive learning strategy formulation of SME owner-managers’ branding practices and SMEs’ need for a more rational approach to branding.Departamento de Organización de Empresas y Marketing. Universidad Pablo de Olavide

Contingent self-definition and amorphous regions: a dynamic approach to place brand architecture

This article explores the concept of contingent self-definition, whereby place brands employ flexible self-definitional approaches in constructing their place brand architecture. Adopting a view of regions as social constructs, the article builds on and extends previous work on place brand architecture by identifying the underlying factors that drive contingent self-definition decisions. Based on an empirical study of professionals tasked with managing region brands in the Netherlands, eleven factors are identified as drivers of contingent self-definition by place brands. These factors are grouped into four thematic categories: i) external perceptions, ii) proximity, iii) brand relationships, and iv) politics and power. A dynamic approach to place brand architecture is advocated, foregrounding the amorphous character of regions as social constructs that defy reification solely as fixed territorial-administrative spaces

Exploring the dimensions of place branding: an application of the ICON model to the branding of Toronto

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the place branding dimensions of a city undergoing a concerted effort to build a distinctive brand for itself. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative, exploratory approach is adopted, applying the ICON model of place branding to the multistakeholder city branding strategy of Toronto. A combination of interviews, participant observation, content analysis and professional reflection inform the study. Findings: Toronto’s emergence as a creative city with global standing has been achieved, in part, through a holistic and collaborative approach that is integrated, contextualized, organic and new. Practical implications: Place and destination promoters are offered a practical application of the ICON model of place branding, informing future initiatives and offering insight into good practice. Originality/value: Viewed through the lens of the ICON model, the paper provides insights into the collaborative and innovate practices that characterize effective city branding

Contingent self-definition and amorphous regions: a dynamic approach to place brand architecture

This article explores the concept of contingent self-definition, whereby place brands employ flexible self-definitional approaches in constructing their place brand architecture. Adopting a view of regions as social constructs, the article builds on and extends previous work on place brand architecture by identifying the underlying factors that drive contingent self-definition decisions. Based on an empirical study of professionals tasked with managing region brands in the Netherlands, eleven factors are identified as drivers of contingent self-definition by place brands. These factors are grouped into four thematic categories: i) external perceptions, ii) proximity, iii) brand relationships, and iv) politics and power. A dynamic approach to place brand architecture is advocated, foregrounding the amorphous character of regions as social constructs that defy reification solely as fixed territorial-administrative spaces

Branding the nation: Towards a better understanding

This paper aims to clarify some misunderstanding about nation branding. It examines the origins and interpretations of the concept, and draws a comparison between nation branding and commercial branding. A new definition is offered that emphasises the need to shift from “branding” the nation to nation image management

Survey and scoping of wildcat priority areas

This report summarises the findings of three complementary projects commissioned by SNH to inform the selection of Priority Areas for wildcat conservation; as proposed in the Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Plan 2013. The scoping projects combined field surveys, taxonomic and genetic assessments, population modelling and a questionnaire survey of public attitudes to wildcat conservation measures. The report makes a recommendations for six wildcat Priority Areas from the nine areas pre-selected by SNH for survey. The sites recommended as Priority Areas all had evidence of cats that were classified as wildcats based on their appearance. However, domestic cats or hybrids (between domestic cats and wildcats) were also found, highlighting the need for conservation actions to reduce the risks they pose to wildcats from hybridisation and disease