Forever young: How can a branding destination strategy regenerate a city image? The case of Tel Aviv

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the successful branding strategy of the city of Tel Aviv, which until the early 1990s suffered from an anaemic image of an old and crowded metropolis. The research methodology was based on both semi-structured interviews with the municipality spokesperson, the advertising agency CEO and marketing experts who participated in the branding campaign and a review of focus group surveys. These documents shed light on the branding process and, in particular, on the changes implemented in the marketing strategy between 1994 and 2009. The data show that a well-managed city branding campaign can result in the transformation of a negative image to a highly positive one. This paper describes the branding strategy that resulted in the city of Tel Aviv being the most admired city by young people in Israel. It can be a framework for destination marketers who cope with complicated rebranding destination strategies.