Abstract
The main objective of this chapter is to explore how cities and regions can use digital storytelling strategies to reach and engage with their target audiences. Despite the growing body of literature regarding digital storytelling, the contributions and examples about regions and cities are still scarce. This chapter analyses the storytelling strategies of promotional campaigns regarding three cities and two regions around the world. Using a theory-driven framework, each storytelling example is dissected and interpreted. This study demonstrates that digital storytelling is worth consideration, as it offers a relevant set of advantages for marketing and communication managers, and enables the development of the place image and a consistent communication of its identity that can be co-created with various stakeholders, including the target audiences. It also shows that there are a diversity of approaches that can be adapted by place branding strategies, namely in terms of narrative, perspectives, and medium components.
TopIntroduction
Cities and regions have long felt the need to affirm their individuality and identity as they need to position themselves in the global context, namely to influence potential visitors’ behavior (Vinyals-Mirabent & Mohammadi, 2018, p. 91). They are living, working, and studying spaces for different target audiences, investor sites, as well as tourism destinations. Clearly, communicating with such diversified audiences is challenging. Zenker (2018) stresses that city marketing and branding is a crucial part of urban governance, as they help attract not only tourists, but also inhabitants and investors. Indeed, these strategies aim to develop an attractive image and positive reputation (for different stakeholders and target audiences). The image and identity of places are acknowledged as fundamental for communication, as they capture people’s attention and foster their imagination (Szromnik, 2016, p. 130). In such a context, storytelling has become an integral part of places’ communication strategies in order to promote and differentiate destination brands online (Youssef, Leicht, & Marongiu, 2019, p. 709). Without surprise, local governments and cultural organizations are encouraging the adoption of storytelling campaigns due to their efficacy with respect to the touristic and economic success of a region (Bassano et al., 2019, p. 18).
This chapter argues that digital storytelling is a particularly effective strategy to create a strong and consistent place identity. Indeed, regions and cities are full of stories, and their online presence can be a determinant success factor, as it allows greater reach and interaction with target audiences, creating proximity and familiarity that is expected to enhance positive achievements for tourism and the economy as a whole. If a story has enough appeal and interest, it can spread through social media and potentially be shared around the world, becoming viral. With the right storytelling skills, the stories’ potential spread and reach on social media can result in influencing millions of people (Lund et al., 2018, p. 273). Overall, this strategy gives great power to brands to improve connections with their consumers (Singh & Sonnenburg, 2012, p. 189). Digital storytelling can help cities and regions achieve greater awareness, effectively reach their target audiences, and create value to the local stakeholders. Storytelling allows for the initiation and strengthening of relationships between actors. As such, it can effectively mobilize and unite public and private actors on multiple governance levels, creating synergies, and overall contributing to development of the place (Hartman, Parra, & de Roo, 2019, p. 96).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Brand Positioning: The distinct place the brand occupies in consumers’ minds.
Place Branding: A marketing strategy that is based on the premise that cities, regions, and countries can be branded. Place branding is largely linked to the characteristics of its native people, the characteristics of the region, the culture, the gastronomy, the organizations, and its history.
Narrative Archetypes: Patterns, elements, and mechanisms commonly used in the fields of arts and literature, which help to add meaning and significance to a story.
Storytelling Strategies: Strategies designed to persuade through stories. The main objective of storytelling strategies is to create emotion and cognition through a story, in order to persuade and engage an audience.
Digital Storytelling: A marketing and communication strategy based on narrative techniques (plots, characters), and digital techniques (video, audio, 3D). It comprises the production of stories for digital media that are associated with a brand in order to connect emotionally with target audiences.
Brand Slogan: A short and catchy phrase, easy to memorize and that stays in the consumers’ minds, which characterizes a company, a product, or a place.
Social media: Interactive and digital tools and platforms that allow the production and sharing of different types of content, such as video, image, text, infographics, and music.