Managing stakeholder involvement in place branding: the need for network management

The importance of stakeholder involvement in place branding is emphasized in recent literature. However, ideas about how this should be managed are underdeveloped. To address this gap, we draw from network management theory and compare the management of two region branding processes (top-down vs bottom-up). We find that the choice of network management strategy matters for fostering stakeholder involvement because they lead to differing outcomes and levels of involvement; that different management strategies are needed at different points in time to address specific priority needs; and that consequently a fluid approach to applying network management strategies is recommendable, especially in regional contexts affected by multi-level governance structures and a myriad of stakeholders. The empirical data show the practice potential of the introduced network management framework to inform strategies that fittingly involve stakeholders in place brand development processes. This study challenges current knowledge by demonstrating that the employment of network management strategies is more path dependent and less voluntary than often stated in the network governance or place branding literature.