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Abstract
Within the globalizing world, regions and their identities are subjected to great
pressure. At present, places are engaged in a process of “territorial competition” in
an integrated world economy. The identity of the region can be used as a starting
point to brand a region and differentiate it from others. In the regional branding
process, the region as a whole becomes a product or brand and offers a “basket” of
regional products and services. This paper discusses the possibility of regional
identity as a mobilizing force for rural development, by studying best practice
examples of regional branding. Using the grounded theory approach, we conducted
interviews in three case regions: West Cork (Ireland), Groene Woud (the
Netherlands) and Pajottenland (Belgium). The study of these cases led to the
formulation of critical success factors on the organization of regional branding.