From poem and song to cultural diplomacy: challenges and opportunities for place branding and tourism promotion
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
From poem and song to cultural diplomacy: challenges and opportunities for place branding and tourism promotion Christina Linardaki1,2 · Anastasia Aslanides1 Revised: 13 February 2020 © Springer Nature Limited 2020
Abstract The concept of place branding in this paper is examined in respect to place identity. More specifically, it is argued that poems and songs are cultural elements of place identity that can help in the place branding process. Poetry and especially that set to music offers a powerful cross-platform that enables communication among people, creating common understanding and bridging linguistic and cultural differences. Greece has reached a juncture where the sun and sea model, on which it had based its tourist campaign in the past, is not sufficient anymore. Thus, it must face the options of altering its current product. Towards this direction, the present paper focuses on poetry, lyrics, and song as viable alternatives that can help reformulate the country’s projected identity and image. Representative examples of Greek poetry in general and of Greek poetry set to music in particular are analyzed and examined in this vein. Keywords Place branding · Place identity · Poetry · Songs · Tourism
Introduction and scope In this paper, we argue that poems and songs are cultural elements that can help in the place branding process. The latter is seen in relation to place identity, which is formulated on cultural foundations. This is in line with the work of scholars who “have gradually moved towards a focus on the cultural foundations of the place brand” (Pedeliento and Kavaratzis 2019, pp. 350–353). Based on the work of Hatch and Schultz (2002), Kavaratzis and Hatch (2013) see place identity as a dynamic process that involves four sub-processes: expressing, mirroring, impressing, and reflecting, in relation to place culture and place image. Expressing is the way that cultural understandings are expressed, formulating identity; mirroring involves tapping on the images of others by mirroring their expectations; impressing relates to how image is created by way of leaving positive impressions on others; and reflecting is the way in which identity affects culture back.
* Christina Linardaki [email protected] 1
Advanced Media Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus
Present Address: 5 Trapezountos Str, 17237 Athens, Greece
2
Pedeliento and Kavaratzis (2019) have moved the argument further, by applying a structurationist approach to Kavaratzis and Hatch’s (2013) conclusions (see Fig. 1). According to the former (2019), “the place brand is constituted by the interplay of culture, identity and image as they are performed in actions and practices. Therefore, place branding claims need to refer […] to practices that are already part of the cultural repertoire of the place and constitute its identity.” Poetry and songs are seen in this paper through such practices (festivals, concerts, publications, etc.) that formulate the place identity of Greece today. In general terms, poetry is a form of
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