The influence of place and communicated identity on place image and attractiveness of the City of Johannesburg

Abstract

Place branding is defined as the application of marketing techniques and activities, to differentiate and attract interest to promote the social and economic growth of cities, regions and countries. If marketers are to market their respective places effectively, they need to get a sense of the key characteristics that make up a place identity, with particular attention paid to what is perceived or understood as the image. The role of local residents is emphasised in the process of identifying the key attributes that comprise the identity and image of a place. The purpose of this research is to establish the identity of the City of Johannesburg from the perspective of stakeholders responsible for branding the metropolitan and to investigate the perceptions and image of the metropolitan by local residents. The research methodology adopted was a mixed method approach. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with destination marketing practitioners and the results were content analysed to identify key themes. The quantitative study sought to investigate the perceptions and image of the City of Johannesburg held by local residents using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions relating to views on place identity, place image and communicated identity. Structural equation modelling was employed in the study for the purpose of analysing the quantitative data. Given the common brand associations made by practitioners and local residents interviewed, one can conclude that the City of Johannesburg is fundamentally South Africa's business hub and associated with opportunities and these associations are unlikely to change and will stay constant as the City goes through various growth cycles. The multi-faceted image of the City of Johannesburg was demonstrated by the different responses elicited from marketing practitioners and local residents. The crime association image does not bode well for the metropolitan and concerted ii

efforts are required from all stakeholders involved in marketing the City to deal with the city's negative image