The role of city branding in global talent attraction - case Turku
Koskinen, Karoliina (2022)
Koskinen, Karoliina
2022
Julkaisu on tekijänoikeussäännösten alainen. Teosta voi lukea ja tulostaa henkilökohtaista käyttöä varten. Käyttö kaupallisiin tarkoituksiin on kielletty.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2022050934079
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2022050934079
Tiivistelmä
As both globalization and urbanization continue to accelerate the mobility of talent worldwide, local governments are forced to reconsider their position in the global competition. Therefore, many cities are now interested in creating a strong brand to support their marketing, and to help them to gain a competitive edge. Past research on city branding indicates that cities can be branded similarly to consumer goods, and that cities with a well-recognized brand are more likely to attract investment and other resources, such as talents, compared to cities with no brand familiarity.
This thesis examines the relationship between city branding and global talent attraction by conducting a case study on the city of Turku. The purpose is to understand what exactly is the role of city branding in global talent attraction, as well as how the city’s brand is communicated to global talents in practice. Moreover, the aim is to explore how other cities that lack international recognition can build a brand that helps them to attract global talents. This study is qualitative in its nature and it has been carried out by conducting a focus group discussion with four global talents, as well as two semi-structured interviews with the key personnel of the city of Turku. In addition, the extant literature for both city branding and global talent attraction has been reviewed, in order to propose a framework on their relationship.
The results of this thesis study indicate that in smaller countries, such as Finland, city branding has a secondary role in global talent attraction compared to the nation brand. However, the role can also be intrepreted as complementary, as city branding helps to keep the communication to global talents coherent, despite the multiple stakeholders involved in the process. In practice, the case study shows that the city brand is primarily a communications tool, which can be utilized, for example, in the tone of voice or talking points of the marketing material for global talents. Moreover, the analysis of this study indicates that city branding has a more prominent role in global talent retention since cities bear a greater responsibility for that part of the global talent attraction work.
This thesis examines the relationship between city branding and global talent attraction by conducting a case study on the city of Turku. The purpose is to understand what exactly is the role of city branding in global talent attraction, as well as how the city’s brand is communicated to global talents in practice. Moreover, the aim is to explore how other cities that lack international recognition can build a brand that helps them to attract global talents. This study is qualitative in its nature and it has been carried out by conducting a focus group discussion with four global talents, as well as two semi-structured interviews with the key personnel of the city of Turku. In addition, the extant literature for both city branding and global talent attraction has been reviewed, in order to propose a framework on their relationship.
The results of this thesis study indicate that in smaller countries, such as Finland, city branding has a secondary role in global talent attraction compared to the nation brand. However, the role can also be intrepreted as complementary, as city branding helps to keep the communication to global talents coherent, despite the multiple stakeholders involved in the process. In practice, the case study shows that the city brand is primarily a communications tool, which can be utilized, for example, in the tone of voice or talking points of the marketing material for global talents. Moreover, the analysis of this study indicates that city branding has a more prominent role in global talent retention since cities bear a greater responsibility for that part of the global talent attraction work.
Kokoelmat
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