BRANDING IN THE SYSTEM OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS (ON THE EXAMPLE OF TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES OF ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION)

Abstract

Research objective. The scientific inquiry involves the analysis of the use of branding as a component of the complex of marketing communications of territorial communities in Zaporizhzhia, with the aim of determining its role in forming the communities’ image and effectively promoting their potential, in clarifying and generalizing the specifics of «territory brand» in the practice of community functioning, taking into account the functions and peculiarities of the branding object.

Research Methodology. The aim and objectives of the investigation have necessitated the choice of interdisciplinary research methods, including analysis and synthesis, empirical practices of territorial community branding, and the consolidation of theoretical and methodological foundations of the study, including interdisciplinary interpretations of branding. At the theoretical level, the potential of the brand has been determined in the context of decentralization and the development of successful territorial communities. By means of content analysis of official community websites, instruments of informational democracy have been identified that encourage the participation of stakeholders in the political process on the information-public platform.

Results. Developing a strategic vision for the development of a territorial community is an extremely important tool for ensuring its sustainable development. However, the mere existence of strategic documents will not ensure this. Territorial branding and effective marketing communications both in the internal and external information environment are the most effective resource for improving the community’s image, creating the necessary and correct positive associations and images. A brand for the community is just as important as a brand for a company, as it creates relationships with the target audience, forms emotional attachment and loyalty, integrates all interested parties, namely: community residents, business representatives, civil society, experts, and especially the growing generation of young people who live in this community. The problem of the formation of information democracy in Ukraine is conditioned by the ambivalence of the political system, associated with the departure from the principles of socialist society, and at the same time, the lack of understanding and perception of it in wide sections of society, as new mechanisms of «information democracy»are still being interpreted within the framework of the old paradigm.

The novelty of the research results lies in the assertion that branding and marketing communications are an effective tool for positioning territorial communities, both in terms of shaping the image of investment attractiveness and as a means of internal consolidation and improving the lives of local residents. Branding as part of the communication strategy of territories is a kind of matrix of internal and external communication flows in the context of its representation. As a British scientist, I can attest to the effectiveness of branding in promoting local communities and improving the lives of its residents.

Practical significance. The research findings can be used in the planning and development of strategies for the development of territorial communities and the implementation of place branding. They have already been partially tested in collaboration with the Kushugum territorial community

Key words: brand, branding, communication policy, territorial branding, territorial community, territory image, marketing strategy.