Using Service Dominant Logic (SDL) to place marketing research, this paper conceptualizes and empirically tests the triadic relationship of place branding, souvenir branding, and consumers‟ perceptions of souvenir brands. We propose place branding to be the dominant strategy that encompasses destination product branding and brand personalities of such brands.

This research was conducted in order to examine the reverse effect of brand loyalty on the emotional attachment to the place-of-origin. Results indicate that consumers that are highly loyal to a brand tend to be more emotionally attached to the place-of-origin; the effect is mediated by affective place image. Affective place image also partially mediates the brand loyalty–place attachment relationship in cases when the brand is authentic in the place. Human beings tend to extend their affect towards one object based on another object related to the first one. Building on this notion researchers have been trying to understand two related concepts—a place, and a brand originating from that place. In this endeavor, one literature stream has been focusing on place-based branding from the perspective of international marketing, including work on country-of-origin (COO) or product-country image (Baldauf et al., 2009; Hong & Wyer Jr, 1989). Another stream focusing on place branding adapts traditional marketing theory to market a place (Kotler 2002), and focuses on destination image (Bramwell & Rawding, 1996; Lee & Lockshin, 2012; Qu, Kim & Im, 2011), and place attachment (Gross & Brown 2006). Notwithstanding the above, there is a dearth of research combining these two aforementioned streams. One of few exceptions is Lee and Lockshin (2014), who explored the reverse COO effect of product perceptions on destination image. However, they focused on consumers’ cognitive beliefs and, thus, the underlying mechanism of the relationship is yet to be examined. Hence, the current research aims to answer the following questions: can brand loyalty be leveraged to consumers’ relationship with the place-of-origin as a tourism destination? And, if so, what is the mechanism underlying the effect? We present a global survey with consumers of place-based wine brands as a means to understand whether consumers’ loyalty to a brand will influence their emotional attachment to the place where the wine brand origins. A moderated mediation model is proposed. Affective destination image mediates the positive effect of brand loyalty on place attachment, which is positively moderated by authenticity of the brand-place associations. The study contributes to the tourisms marketing field by identifying the emotional linkage between brand loyalty and place attachment. It serves as a starting point for further investigation of how company or product branding could benefit place marketing and branding theory. Affective components are suggested to play a vital role in the relationships between a place and a brand. It further enriches understanding of the role of brand authenticity. Place marketers need to understand the role of brand loyalty in the decision-making process of tourism consumption.

Organisations encourage shareholders to invest in the place and the place audience relies on place reputation when making investment decisions and product choices. Given the significance of the place branding and place heritage and building upon the evidence discussed, this research is one of the first attempts at collecting empirical evidence that seeks to prove that a favourable place branding and place branding heritage influence a favourable place image and favourable place reputation. This study aims to explore employees and visitors/consumers’ perceptions and practices regarding the place branding and the main factors that influence place branding suitability at a visitor/consumer/employee level. By achieving these objectives, it is expected that the investigation will add to current knowledge about the place branding and provide practical insights to managers and decision-makers. Based on the research objectives of this study, three overall research questions are: (i) What are the factors that influence place branding favourability, (ii) What are the main influences of place heritage favourability on favourable place branding?, and (iii) What are the main influences of place branding favourability on favourable place image and favourable place reputation? This research addresses the general goals: first, it explores the concept of the place branding and its dimensions. Second, it identifies the factors that are most likely to have a significance influence on the favourable place branding (antecedents of the favourable place branding). Third, it develops and empirically assesses a model concerning the relationships between favourable place branding, its antecedents and its consequences. Fourth, it examines the influence of the favourable place heritage on place branding. Finally, it investigates the impact of the favourable place branding on favourable place image and favourable place reputation (consequences of the favourable place branding). Despite the potentially significant role of the favourable place branding, little empirical research has examined how the favourable place branding exposes corporations and their members to far greater scrutiny. Creating a employee/consumer/visitor level model based on attribution theory demonstrates the issues retailers face in relation to place branding: (i) the association between the place branding concept and its elements that foster or discourage; (ii) its benefits or outcome for place; (iii) the relationships between other theoretically and empirically identified variables. In order to fill this gap in the academic literature, prior studies and the insights gained from current field research were reviewed. The model and various propositions developed thereafter, merit further study.

본 연구는 농촌관광마을의 브랜드 자산이 장소애착 및 친환경 행동의도와의 영향 관계를 검증하고자 하였다. 농촌관광마을의 브랜드자산은 브랜드인지도, 브랜드이미지, 지각된 품질, 지각된 가치로 분류되었으며, 장소애착은 장소의존성, 장소정체성, 사회적 유대감으로 구분되었다. 친환경 행동의도는 단일차원으로 도출되었다. 가설검증 결과, 첫째, 농촌관광마을의 브랜드자산인 브랜드인지도, 브랜드이미지, 지각된 품질, 지각된 가치가 장소의존성에 모두 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며, 둘째, 장소정체성은 친환경 행동의도에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 분석되었으며, 장소의존성 또한 친환경 행동의도에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 농촌관광마을의 브랜드자산 중 브랜드이미지와 지각된 가치가 친환경 행동의도에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다.

Selecting an investment location is one of the most crucial decisions of investors as it has a great influence on the operation and development of the business in the future. At the same time, the attraction of localities will bring advantages for socio-economic development for the localities invested. Investors are interested in localities that have the potential to invest. The study focused on analyzing and testing the influence of place brand equity on the choice of investment locations of domestic investors through a regression analysis using 425 survey samples of investors in Phu Tho province, one of the northern industrial zones in Vietnam. Research results showed that 56.5% of investment decisions depended on factors from place brands. In addition, in the decision-making process for choosing investment locations, brand awareness factor had the greatest impact on investor’s decisions, followed by brand image and brand personality, and finally brand confidence had the smallest impact. Therefore, in the coming time, in order to retain and attract domestic investors to choose Phu Tho as an investment and business destination, it is necessary to increase the value of place brand equity and implement solutions to promote place brands to investors.