Public Branding in the Digital Age: An Empirical Investigation of U.S. Cities

Abstract

Cities globally consider public branding to be an important governance strategy. This study investigates the use of websites for public branding by U.S. cities, and examines the influence of a city’s socioeconomic composition on its digital branding strategies. Data was collected through content analysis of municipal websites to analyze the trends in practices. The cities were then ranked based on identity, communication, engagement, and operations, and the top ranked cities were further studied. Multivariate analysis revealed that education levels and diversity were associated with selected aspects of the branding efforts of sample cities, identifying key areas of improvement and recommendations.