Abstract:

In the period following 1970, the neo-liberal transformation of the economy and the state has also caused various changes in the social, economic and spatial structures of urban centers. Capitalism in the world has come to such a final stage that major shifts in the paradigm were experienced in the economy, which have dramatically altered the structure of cities. Following the policies of deindustrialization, as the share of the industrial sector in urban economies decreased, the cities that could not receive sufficient public investments were forced to a situation in which they tried to realize their local development by "marketing their local originality". Originating from global capitalism, the competition-oriented development model imposed on cities has turned cities and regions into marketable products. Presently, not only products and services, but also cities have begun to be recognized as the subjects of marketing and therefore cities have become consumption materials or commodities. In the process called "urban branding" or "urban marketing", cities are looking for ways to gain advantage in the global economy by marketing their local originality in national and international markets, and to boost their spatial appeal by revealing their distinctive characteristics in order to attract the attention of tourists, investors and capital in return. The importance of the study is to emphasize that cities are trying to achieve their economic development through branding in the globalization process. In this study, based on the example of a provincial city of Sivas, the reflections of branding efforts on small cities will be examined. This research is a descriptive study in general survey type to evaluate the brand potential of Sivas city. The research evaluates the branding studies carried out in Sivas on an economic basis. The brand city potential of Sivas, the contribution of brand studies to the city economy and the brand city perception will be determined through field work and Evaluations and suggestions will be made in the light of the data obtained as a result of the study.

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