A mini-guide to building successful customer-regional brand relationships.
Regional brands are thriving in many parts worldwide, as consumers are more willing to buy products from their own region. Hence, companies, therefore, capitalize on the place of production or place branding to implement regional brands as a distinctive characteristic in attracting consumers.
A region describes a specific geographical space of countries. These countries share varying similarities, such as a region's identity and distinctiveness, which are based on physical (e.g., geography), cultural (e.g., history, art, music), and historical (e.g., famous citizens) properties. Regions generally arouse positive emotions among people due to the memories, experiences, or habits related to these places.
A region's culture is considered the most influential characteristic or identity due to the known impact of culture on the economy. In like manner, regional culture is closely linked to the characteristics and advantages of regional industry. As a result, regional culture is a kind of cultural form. Each region's culture is comprised of material, spiritual and institutional aspects.
But before we discuss the managerial propositions for building successful customer-regional brand relationships, let us first summarize "place branding." So, what is place branding, and how does it fit into regional branding?
Place branding is an active component within place marketing, applied to brand development for geographical locations, including regions, cities, or communities. Place branding is used in various sectors such as government, marketing, business, and industry.
These geographical locations, including regions, are distinctive in their identity, which supports:
The creation of a competitive advantage over similar locations.
The establishment of economic development.
The attraction of tourists from abroad or domestic.
& The maintenance or attraction of residents.
Your mini-guide to building successful customer regional brand relationships
Firstly, managers need to establish a strong regional brand. Establishing a regional brand requires these four fundamental steps: establishing brand identification and brand meaning, managing brand responses, and forming consumer-brand relationships.
Nonetheless, here are six basic managerial recommendations for managers or stakeholders who offers an already established regional brand or are offering emblematic or non-emblematic products:
Place branding strategy: Managers should include place branding as a strategic component to increase the product's attractiveness based on its regional elements or associations.
Positioning: Another key element of regional branding is positioning. A central place in the positioning of the brand should be reserved for developing advertising content. "Umbrella" branding is the superior method to brand development, comprising one brand name for all products promoted by the region.
Awareness: It is also important to develop awareness amongst consumers residing in the region, especially amongst the people who have newly entered and are starting to develop a connection with the region.
Promotion: In raising awareness, it is necessary to utilize three main promotional tactics to educate consumers about the brand and products. These tactics include:
a. Sampling (in-store/retailers)
b. Immediate rebate coupons (in-store / retailers)
c. Social networks
Communication: In increasing awareness, managers should maintain constant engagement through communication with the outside world in a clear and organized manner.
Brand experience: Brand experience is the most significant element because, in establishing a customer-brand relationship, the most important thing is to create brand resonance based on consumer experience. Brand resonance is divided into four main elements: loyalty, attitude, belonging, and active involvement. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that customers have a consistent brand experience with your products and service at all times.
In the end, your regional brand relationship strategy should influence consumers’ attitudes and behaviors by creating a sense of belonging, trust, attachment, and ethical affliction between the consumer, the brand, and the region.
For instance, it is further confirmed that in the formation of a regional brand of agricultural products, product expansion is possible only through the involvement of marketing technologies. As a matter of fact, the brand is the principal tool in the promotion of agricultural products. In other words, to increase the agricultural production of a region, the branding process is a necessary requirement in attaining the objectives.
References and Reading Recommendations:
Charton-Vachet, F., Lombart, C., 2018. Impact of the link between individuals and their region on the customer-regional brand relationship. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 43, 170–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.03.016
Dwivedi, A., Merrilees, B., 2013. Retail brand extensions: Unpacking the link between brand extension attitude and change in parent brand equity. Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ) 21, 75–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ausmj.2013.02.001
Li, G.A.N., 2019. Research on the Construction of Convention and Exhibition Brand Based on Regional Culture. DEStech Transactions on Social Science, Education, and Human Science, (isehs).
Pyzhikova, N., Smirnova, T., Chepeleva, K. and Shmeleva, Z., 2020, January. The Brand as a Tool for Agricultural Products Promotion in the Region. In Ecological-Socio-Economic Systems: Models of Competition and Cooperation (ESES 2019) (pp. 178-184). Atlantis Press.