In search of the genius loci – the essence of a place brand

While there is much contemporary interest from marketing academics in researching the way a place’s brand is promoted, and in undertaking investigations into the wider aspects of the attendant concept of place marketing, to date there remains limited investigation into what actually constitutes the place as a marketable, and therefore consumable, entity. This paper therefore aims to provide a critical review of key issues emerging from the recent literature that have already made some attempt at appropriately conceptualising and theorising place branding in particular with specific focus on a consideration of what is at the heart of the exchange process of place marketing and branding - the essence of the place brand. This investigation results in an original conceptual model of the Place Brand Essence that also begins reconciles both the identity conferment and experiential consumption aspect of the place brand.