Online social media — a vehicle for city branding in China: the case of Sponge City Program (SCP)

Thadani, Dimple, Li, Lei and Chan, Faith Ka Shun (2020) Online social media — a vehicle for city branding in China: the case of Sponge City Program (SCP). In: Proceedings of the 2020 International Conference on Resource Sustainability: Sustainable Urbanisation in the BRI Era (icRS Urbanisation 2020). Environmental Science and Engineering . Springer, Singapore, pp. 381-389. ISBN 9789811596056

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Abstract

The shift of academic attention from city marketing to city branding heralds a new era of representation and signification of cities as brands. Conscious practices of nationwide program implementation could be used not only for improving urban resilience but for city brands promotion. In China, to cope with the frequent occurrence of urban water issues, a nationwide initiative called Sponge City Program (SCP) has been launched since 2013. Given the significant impact of online social media on brand image, various levels of the Chinese Governments have begun to use online social media for city program promotion. In particular, brand community formed by stakeholders on online social media can significantly influence the brand image by co-creating contents. In this paper, we first analyze the current application of online social media for city marketing in China based on the SCP implementation. Next, we propose a framework/typology to inform how Chinese’ social media could be used for effective city branding. Finally, we conclude by discussing the implications of online social media use in China.

Item Type: Book Section
Keywords: Sponge City Program; City Branding; Online Social Media; Urban Water Management
Schools/Departments: University of Nottingham Ningbo China > Faculty of Business > Nottingham University Business School China
University of Nottingham Ningbo China > Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical Sciences
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9605-6_26
Depositing User: Wu, Cocoa
Date Deposited: 31 Dec 2020 05:51
Last Modified: 31 Dec 2020 05:51
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/64215

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