The stakeholder and bottom up approach is advocated by many researchers in
the place branding literature. In order for a place brand to be successful, it must
be supported by the various stakeholders. Moreover, it is an ethical issue. While
studies have shown how place brands fail because of the lack of consultation
with stakeholders, building up consensus amongst stakeholders is easier said
than done. Models are plentiful but the practice can be a different story. How
should these models translate into actual practices? We looked at the
Copenhagen International Film Festival and the branding of Copenhagen.
Cities are becoming alike. As a result, there is a rise of “copy-cat” cities. There
are many reasons for this, and this paper looks from the perspective of city branding: how
does place branding lead to the homogenization of cities? Using the case of Singapore,
and with references to Chinese cities, this paper highlights a number of accreditation
tactics in place branding campaigns. Accreditation is necessary because the brand needs
to seek credibility for the messages it sends. The types of accreditation used must also be
globally understood, so as to reach out to diverse world audiences.
