A brand for a region: Legitimate strategy or marketing felony? The case of France and the Auvergne region

Sonia Capelli () and Emeline Martin ()
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Sonia Capelli: MAGELLAN - Laboratoire de Recherche Magellan - UJML - Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 - Université de Lyon - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (IAE) - Lyon
Emeline Martin: MAGELLAN - Laboratoire de Recherche Magellan - UJML - Université Jean Moulin - Lyon 3 - Université de Lyon - Institut d'Administration des Entreprises (IAE) - Lyon, CRCGM - Centre de Recherche Clermontois en Gestion et Management - UdA - Université d'Auvergne - Clermont-Ferrand I - ESC Clermont-Ferrand - École Supérieure de Commerce (ESC) - Clermont-Ferrand

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Abstract: Purpose: In the field of place branding, and in particular for regional branding, academics and practitioners regard marketing as a necessity. Indeed, it contributes to control the place's image, as well as attracting investors, firms, tourists, future inhabitants, etc. However, a question remains as to stakeholders' opinions about the implementation of a brand for their region. Indeed, to acquire a competitive advantage a regional brand should reflect a common vision shared by the stakeholders. Is the practice of "branding a region" legitimate as a whole or does it depend on its dimensions? Legitimacy when promoting a regional brand can be considered through three aspects: the historical, the purpose and the means legitimacy. Thereby, this study aims at analyzing the legitimacy of regional branding's several dimensions by focusing on one stakeholder's perception: the inhabitants of the region. Methodology: A French region, namely the Auvergne region, was selected for the study. In a first step, two focus groups were carried out. In a second step, face-to-face questionnaires were administered to a sample. Then, data were processed through AFC and ANOVA. Findings: Results confirm the transposition of the three dimension legitimacy scale in the context of regional branding. Moreover, if the regional branding practice is legitimate as a whole; legitimacy levels are higher for the use of the Auvergne regional brand in a tourism context, as well as for promoting local products compared to promoting firms' choice of location. Research Limitations: This study focused on one region and its inhabitants. Future research should broaden the results to other regions. Practical Implications: This study provides a methodology to evaluate the legitimacy of regional brands. With this grid, practitioners may select the promotion actions which would federate the inhabitants of the promoted region. Originality: This study extends prior work by introducing the legitimacy scale into the regional branding literature.

Keywords: Regional Branding; Legitimacy; Brand Associations; Brand Attitude (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013-07-01
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Published in 11th Annual International Conference on Marketing, 1-4 July 2013., Jul 2013, Athens, Greece. pp. 96-97

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00960512

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