Building brand value in major Spanish cities: an analysis through municipal websites

Abstract

PurposeUrban managers increasingly focus on establishing the city as a brand to ensure a competitive force that enables the city to position itself at home and abroad. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the development of city branding from the market orientation of the capital cities of Spain's regional Autonomous Communities.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis uses a set of variables representing the different aspects that shape market orientation, and variables related to the development and implementation of city branding strategies. The methodology for collecting information on the cities under study is based on content analysis, and its specific application to the analysis of websites.FindingsThe research carried out reveals the existence of four distinct groups of Spain's cities that can be differentiated in terms of the importance that they give to the different areas of market orientation and the development of city branding strategies.Research limitations/implicationsThe cities considered give an insight into the strategies of brand creation and development at major Spanish cities but tell nothing about secondary cities. The scope of the study is purely domestic. The authors intend to expand it to include cities elsewhere in Europe, to enable comparisons to be drawn of the processes of creation and development of city branding in different countries. The municipal web sites used as a source of information show some volatility, and as a result need to be reviewed from time to time.Originality/valueAlthough web sites as marketing tools offer significant advantages, such as accessibility of information, provision of relevant information, handling of complaints, low cost, and customer service, there has been very little research into their role in urban management. Using the content provided by each municipality's official web site as a source, this paper offers a different perspective which complements research performed through other methods.