Linking city branding to social inclusiveness: A socioeconomic perspective

Abstract

City branding is linked to social inclusiveness in two ways. First, the study compares residents' perception of city branding attributes in two Australian satellite cities. Second, the study analyses whether the city brand meaning differs across socioeconomic groups. In a quantitative research design, data were collected from two Australian satellite cities using a mail survey. Data analysis compared three socioeconomic groups in terms of city brand perceptions and city brand associations. The first finding and contribution is that all socioeconomic groups have similar perceptions of the city brand image. The second finding and contribution reveals a particular city brand configuration for the disadvantaged group. Their city brand is more materialistic and functional, emphasising business vibrancy, markets and public transport, compared with a more abstract symbolic meaning that emphasises social bonding and nature for the more socioeconomically advantaged groups. The article is one of the first to link city branding and social inclusion. Apparently, it is the first to identify social inclusion in terms of socioeconomic groups. We identify two Chinese satellite cities that could use our knowledge to reduce the stress of future growth challenges.