Advocacy as the New Paradigm in Place Branding Theory

For years, nation and city branding were seen as top-down marketing exercises — glossy campaigns, catchy slogans, and big promises. But in the 2020s, a new logic has taken over: places no longer need marketers — they need advocates.

This shift marks the rise of place brand advocacy — a relationship-based approach where stakeholders themselves become the most powerful ambassadors of the place.

From Promotion to Participation

Traditional branding treated countries like products: design a logo, run an ad, and expect results. But research now shows that the real strength of a nation’s brand lies not in what governments say — but in what citizens, visitors, and partners feel and do.

Residents, entrepreneurs, artists, and even tourists are not passive consumers of a country’s image. They are co-creators of its meaning. When people feel proud, emotionally connected, and trusted by their institutions, they naturally begin to speak for their country — through actions, stories, and relationships.

As scholars like Kemp, Childers, and Williams (2012) note, this “self-brand connection” builds civic consciousness and collective pride. In other words, trust becomes the new marketing.

The Architecture of Advocacy

Place brand advocacy isn’t abstract — it’s built on several measurable elements (Stokburger-Sauer, 2011; Wu, 2017):

• Identification: When people see their own values reflected in the country, they identify with it.

• Embeddedness: The deeper one’s social and emotional ties to the place, the stronger the advocacy.

• Trust: Credibility and openness between people and institutions form the foundation of long-term loyalty.

• Commitment: People who believe in the mission of their nation are more likely to speak for it — at home and abroad.

• Uniqueness: Distinctiveness fuels advocacy; sameness kills it.

These factors transform everyday stakeholders into active promoters — building a brand that no agency can fabricate.

The Digital Dimension

Digital platforms amplify this effect exponentially.When a resident posts about their hometown, or a traveler shares a meaningful cultural experience, that content becomes part of the nation’s brand narrative. Social media doesn’t just spread images — it spreads emotional credibility.

As Wilk, Soutar, and Harrigan (2021) show, online advocacy creates a positive feedback loop: the more people engage with a brand, the more loyal they become — and the more they advocate in return.

Why Advocacy Matters Now

In an era of global crises, people trust people more than institutions. Advocacy bridges that gap. It turns nation branding from a communication exercise into a social contract — grounded in shared values, trust, and belonging.

For nations like Ukraine, whose image is being reshaped amid conflict and recovery, this approach is not just strategic — it’s existential.When citizens, diaspora, and partners around the world become advocates rather than audiences, the brand ceases to be a campaign.It becomes a community.

References

• Braun, E., Eshuis, J., Klijn, E. H., & Zenker, S. (2018). Improving place reputation: Do an open place brand process and an identity-image match pay off? Cities, 80, 22–28.

• Kemp, E., Childers, C. Y., & Williams, K. H. (2012). A tale of a musical city: Fostering self-brand connection among residents of Austin, Texas. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 8(2), 147–157.

• Stokburger-Sauer, N. E. (2011). The relevance of visitors’ nation brand embeddedness and personality congruence for nation brand identification, visit intentions and advocacy. Tourism Management, 32, 1282–1289.

• Wilk, V., Soutar, G. N., & Harrigan, P. (2021). Online brand advocacy and brand loyalty: A reciprocal relationship? Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 33(10), 1977–1993.

• Wu, L. (2017). Relationship building in nation branding: The central role of nation brand commitment. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 13, 65–80.