Smart versus Digital. Integrating Technology in city Branding
Smart versus Digital. Integrating Technology in city Branding

Summary/Abstract: Cities and regions have developed into economic, industrial or cultural hubs with the help of proper branding techniques that resemble those used in the private management of companies. The reason? Globalization creates a growing competition between the LRAs (local and regional authorities) for investment, which could bring overall development at the sub-national level. One element that can help provide better impetus for investment is technology. More specifically, cities or regions must also create a tech-friendly climate in order to attract investment, which can come in many forms: tourism, innovation, manufacturing, research, etc.In this sense, the purpose of the article is to follow the connection between city branding and the smart/digital city strategy. Using examples from Romania and Germany, the article beings with the theoretical framework of place branding and marketing to analyze such agendas from the two countries. Then, the article will provide a comparative look at smart versus digital branding for cities to provide an answer to the fundamental question of the paper: How does the smart city/digital city branding help a city brand?

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