Toward a Methodological Model for Manta’s City Brand
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26422/aucom.2027.1601.areKeywords:
Strategic Communication, Cultural Identity, Citizen Participation, Governance, Urban DevelopmentAbstract
This article presents a methodological protocol for city branding in Manta (Ecuador) and reports findings from a participatory workshop. The study is based on a state-of-the-art review and a literature review on city branding and governance, with an emphasis on identity and co-creation with residents as foundations for legitimacy and communicational effectiveness. In 2025, a workshop-presentation was conducted to explore identity perceptions and test instruments for a future city-branding process. The activity brought together 150 participants, including students from two Ecuadorian universities and members of the public; of these, 79 voluntarily completed both proposed activities and constituted the integrated corpus analyzed. Two techniques were applied: a word cloud to identify how Manta is perceived, and the development of visual sketches through the elicitation of colors, objects, symbols, and emotions associated with the city, which were subsequently consolidated into a collage. The results reveal symbols such as the sea, beaches, sunset, port, tuna, the Manteña chair, and the manta ray, as well as affective associations such as home, happiness, and belonging, which can contribute to the development of verbal and visual identity. The findings also reveal tensions that underscore the idea that city branding cannot conceal the realities of the territory. A six-phase process is proposed: mapping; co-creation and listening; strategic definition; verbal identity; visual identity; and implementation and evaluation, supported by a technical committee and public validation as governance mechanisms. The contribution lies in a replicable framework for intermediate cities seeking to transform identity into a shared narrative, reputation, and tangible benefits for citizens and sustainable development.
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