Vlag, Juan (2026) Capturing the Local Identity in the Place Brand of Heerenveen. A Case Study Approached from a Bottom-up Perspective. Master thesis, Cultural Geography - Sustainable Tourism and Society (STS).
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Abstract
This research is a case study on local identity & place branding in the municipality of Heerenveen, the Netherlands. Scholars have argued before that place branding should reflect the local identity of a place. Therefore, a mixed methods approach, consisting of photovoice & semi-structured interviews, were selected, to investigate the local identity and whether this is reflected in the place brand of Heerenveen, which wanted to establish themselves as a municipality of sports. Sports indeed play a huge role in shaping the local identity, locals therefore feel represented in the place brand. The ice-skating rink of Thialf is also part of the local identity, but not because locals have a strong personal connection to the sports arena, but because it is an important flagship in their sports image. The question therefore remains whether the place brand is a natural reflection of the local identity, or whether the perceived sports identity is a result of the municipality pushing their sports agenda in their place brand for years already. Conducting place branding from a bottom-up perspective, therefore proves to be difficult as locals have been influenced by top-down decisions from the past. For further research, expanding this research onto a larger scale could provide more general insight in how to conduct bottom-up place branding.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Name supervisor: | Rosenbergova, S. |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Jun 2026 11:13 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Jun 2026 11:13 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/863 |
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