Abstract

Value co-creation stemming from cultural heritage and specific local needs is the key element of the process of building a brand identity, particularly in the context of cultural entrepreneurship. Based on the literature on branding and networking our study aims to identify the processes that advance the distinctive branding of a destination by analysing the prerequisites for building a joint brand in a collaborative network. We wanted to study who takes the lead in coordinating cooperation in cultural networks, and who initiates value co-creation processes. Furthermore, we wanted to examine how various actors perceived the coordinating role of the municipality. Our case study is from a small rural destination in Finland where the municipality has taken the initiative to lead and coordinate the value co-creating processes in branding the destination. The empirical data were collected through participative observation and in-depth interviews with municipal representatives, entrepreneurs, and members of associations, and the third sector, and also from local media, policy documents, and websites. A multidimensional concept assigned the acronym BRICK, which stands for: Benefits, Risks, Interaction, Coordination, and Keenness, was used to analyse the data. Our findings show that the development process is still ongoing, and running alongside the cultural and historical perspectives, has been the commercial side of the process addressing the issue of boosting the attraction of the area as a tourism destination. Consequently, the role of value co-creation as an outcome is expanding in terms of affinity, and that of external coordination is diminishing. Our study findings contribute to the theoretical discussion on leadership in the research domain of place branding. The process of building the joint brand for a destination can illustrate for practitioners how to apply academic theory to a real branding case.

Keywords: branding, coordination, cultural networks, creative clusters, cultural heritage