An Exploration of Rural Community Branding Efforts from the Perspective of Community Residents

Community brand identity, as measured by brand image and positioning symbols, typically fails to reflect the perceptions of the residents of the community. The current study, focused on residents in four rural and culturally distinct communities in the mid-western United States, finds that residents feel neither agreement nor disagreement with either image or positioning constructs of community brand identity. The results suggest a need to strengthen image and positioning constructs and we urge co-creation of the community brand with greater involvement of the local residents. Recommendations are given for co-creating a meaningful community brand to further community economic development.