CULTURAL MARKETING AND CITY BRAND ATTRACTIVENESS: A STUDY OF SHIJIAZHUANG’S DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGY

Abstract

As the capital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang has made significant progress in enhancing its city brand through cultural marketing initiatives such as large-scale cultural events, the promotion of red culture, the development of antique towns, digital campaigns, and the establishment of a youthful “Rock Home Town” identity. These efforts have improved visibility and short-term tourism but have not yet achieved a distinctive and sustainable brand image. The city still faces challenges including unclear cultural positioning, project homogenization, limited IP operations, and weak cultural industrialization. This study argues that Shijiazhuang can leverage its rich cultural heritage, geographic advantages, and cost-effective strategies to pursue differentiated brand development through asymmetric competition. It proposes that the city focus on refining local cultural resources rather than emulating first-tier cities’ modern and international images. Based on theories of city brand attractiveness, perceived value, and cultural marketing, this research adopts a mixed-method approach combining questionnaire surveys and large-scale interviews. It constructs an analytical framework encompassing analysis and modeling, data collection, strategic recommendations, and mechanism design. The findings lead to a “Core Symbols, Communication Channels, Experience Scenes” trinity model, applied across four cultural domains: historical, artistic, sports, and commercial. The study further recommends tiered marketing strategies for different target groups, including youth, business visitors, and local residents, supported by a government-led, market-driven, and publicly participatory coordination mechanism. The results contribute to refining the theoretical framework of cultural marketing in regional cities and provide actionable strategies for enhancing Shijiazhuang’s city brand attractiveness and sustainable development.