City Branding for Big Business

The project "City Branding for Big Business" investigates processes in which cities brand themselves to attract big business, particularly global big tech companies. The project contributes with an understanding of how large corporations play a constitutive role in how cities brand themselves.

The project aims to contribute in three respects:
1) Theoretically, we aim to advance theory of city branding by adding nuance and conceptual development to the field by problematizing the dominant scholarship that tends to foreground functionality and assume that branding for business only creates value for cities and citizens. Drawing on a pluralist theory of value (see below), we seek to conceptually develop a more holistic understanding of branding for big business, which may also include potentially problematic aspects thereof.
2) Empirically, we aim to provide in-depth insight into the motives, activities and outcomes associated with city branding for big business.
3) Practically, we aim to provide new knowledge for practitioners of city branding and city management, helping them to make more informed decisions.

The main research question of the project is: How and with what consequences do cities brand themselves for big business, and what values are at stake?

The project "City Branding for Big Business" investigates processes in which cities brand themselves to attract big business, particularly global big tech companies. The project contributes with an understanding of how large corporations play a constitutive role in how cities brand themselves.