City rebranding through co-creation with the residents - the case of Amsterdam

Abstract: Purpose: There has been a lot of research about city rebranding, however in the realm of tourists and businesses as stakeholders. The aim of this study is to investigate the involvement of residents in the city brand as part of rebranding. This is an explicit and explorative research in how residents co-create their city during Amsterdam’s rebranding. Materials and Methods: Data for this research were collected through two different methods. The primary research method was netnography so as to investigate the involvement as well as the attitudes and beliefs of the residents for the city rebranding efforts of the city’s brand managers through the gathering and analysis of the different efforts found online. Moreover, two interviews were conducted with city brand managers and the sample was selected from the organization “Amsterdam Marketing”. The purpose was to gain a deeper understanding on their incentives when they attempt to encompass the residents within city’s rebranding. Conclusions: It was concluded that residents are mostly willing to co-create with city brand managers and other parties when they are unhappy with the activities that try to shape the city brand. Hence, they attempt to express their negativity and dissatisfaction about their city. In order for them to participate more in the several activities, it is recommended that residents become more aware and active about what the city offers to them. The residents’ place satisfaction model is found to connect with branding, hence the model was adapted to the found relations among the managers, the residents and other parties. This new model includes the concepts of co-creation and place brand satisfaction.