"Vecino" acaba de unirse a la partidaludic city branding como herramienta participativa

Abstract

This study examines how ludic city branding as a new tool for including citizen participation can be designed, assessed, and improved in an era of postmodern marketing. City branding practice is being enriched by a variety of new monikers, such as ‘smart’ or ‘digital,’ although needs of the citizen are still being ignored. In accordance to the progressive paradigm of city branding theory, this article introduces a new tool, to enhance citizen participation in this context. We introduce ludic city branding concept based on the consumer-inclusive understandings of postmodern marketing, and designed through ludic activities. This means that the city branding process strives for an engagement with the citizen through immersive experiences based on subtlety. The citizen is allowed to experiment and contribute to the process of branding itself through a horizontal communication where participation is key. This approach sees the citizen as an active part in the city brand. This new tool of ludic city branding is illustrated and tested using the case study of Ontdek Overvecht. From this participatory urban game, eight variables are introduced that can be used to assess the degree of influence by citizen participation on the brand image. These variables are used to suggest an assessment method for ludic city branding designs. From this analysis we conclude there are different variables to take into account that influence citizen participation and Brand control, and others that need more attention like Governance structures and investments.