Branding of Russian Cities: Practice Review of Russian Federation Regional “Capitals”

Abstract

The use of marketing tools in state and municipal management, one of which is geo-branding, is becoming an increasingly common practice. Many cities in our country strive to create their own unique geo-brands based on their competitive advantages in order to promote their own values and interests in the highly competitive “territory market”, as well as attract the necessary resources, including tourists, investors, residents, etc., depending on the tasks set. The city’s geo-branding strategy is aimed not only at external, but also at internal audiences (the population, local businesses, authorities, etc.), which helps to increase the loyalty of citizens to their place of residence. Moreover, in the process of interacting with the outside world, local residents themselves become bearers of their city’s brand. The article is devoted to the study of the current state of geo-breading in Russia on the example of the administrative centers of the subjects of the Russian Federation. The study was conducted through content analysis of the Internet communication network in November–December 2023. As a result, a classification was compiled in which cities were divided into three groups: cities with documented branding concepts and other signs of systemic marketing activity; cities with signs of systemic geo-branding, but being only part of a regional brand or tourist route (without an independent brand); cities without signs of systemic geo-branding. Based on the analysis, general trends in the field of Russian city geo-branding were also identified and recommendations were made for each of the groups of cities of the received classification.