The fundamental goal of this article is to show the implications that place branding has for
regional public management through a case study of the brand “Vic, a city with a human dimension”
[Vic, ciutat a la mesura humana, in Catalan language], a project commissioned by the city council of
Vic and carried out by the city’s ...»»»»
The fundamental goal of this article is to show the implications that place branding has for
regional public management through a case study of the brand “Vic, a city with a human dimension”
[Vic, ciutat a la mesura humana, in Catalan language], a project commissioned by the city council of
Vic and carried out by the city’s university (University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia). Vic is
the capital of the Osona region, in the centre of Catalonia, with a population of 45,040 inhabitants.
Methodologically, this research utilised 14 focus group discussions, two in-depth interviews and a
survey addressed to citizens and answered by 855 people. In regards to results, the research shows
that the practice of place branding transcends the traditional action areas of place marketing and
place promotion, in order to be fully integrated in the region’s overall management policies, that is
to say, its urban governance. The article also concludes that the processes of conceptualisation and
implementation of new place brands must be framed within a bottom-up approach, integrating all
the stakeholders (public–private cooperation) in the decision-making process.^^^^