Exploring the Mediating Role of Urban Brand Image Between Urban Marketing Strategies and Sustainable Urban Development, Case Study: Tabriz City

Document Type : Science - Research

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Business Administration, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

2 Pnu university

3 pnu university

Abstract

Urban marketing can be an effective tool for achieving sustainable urban development. The relationship between urban marketing strategies and sustainable development is vital for the socio-economic development of cities. Urban marketing strategies are essential for increasing competitiveness and strengthening economic growth in urban environments. Urban brand image is also influenced by cultural, historical, and economic factors and can be established through strategic marketing. The aim of this study is to study urban marketing strategies and their role in the sustainable development of Tabriz city with the mediating role of urban brand image. The statistical population of this study was Tabriz Municipality urban development managers and experts, 80 of whom were determined as the sample size and were selected using accessible and purposeful sampling methods. . The standard questionnaires of urban marketing strategies by Geland and Akaya (2001), the questionnaire of sustainable urban development by Rufaida (2014), and the questionnaire of urban brand image by Zahra (2023) were used to collect data. Data analysis was performed through structural equation modeling using SPSS 23 and Smart PLS 3 software. The results of the study showed that urban marketing strategies have a direct and positive effect on the urban brand image and sustainable development of Tabriz city, β = 0. 926 and β = 0. 539, respectively. The results indicate that urban marketing strategies and a positive urban brand image are very important for sustainable urban development and urban marketing can help manage a sustainable urban brand based on environmental indicators. 

Keywords

References

Addai, G., Suh, J., & Bardsley, D.K. (2022). Contributions of Urban Periodic Markets to Sustainable Rural Development in Ghana: A Rural Web Analysis. SSRN Electronic Journal https://doi. org/10. 2139/ssrn. 4234546
Adirinekso, G.P., Purba, J.T., Budiono, S., & Rajaguguk, W. (2021). How Brand Image Mediated Sales Promotion and Price to Impact Shopee Consumer’s Decision? The Case of Urban Worker in Jakarta. Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, 1266–1277. https://doi. org/10. 46254/sa02. 20210558
Angraini, S., Reniati, R., Khairiyansyah, K., & Saputra, D. (2023). The Impact of Marketing Strategies and Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction: A Case Study of Massage Chair Service Users. International Journal of Magistravitae Management, 1(1), 14–31. LOCKSS. https://doi. org/10. 33019/ijomm. v1i1. 2
Borysova, T., Monastyrskyi, G., Borysiak, O., & Protsyshyn, Y. (2021). Priorities of marketing, competitiveness, and innovative development of transport service providers under sustainable urban development. Marketing and Management of Innovations, 5(3), 78–89. Internet Archive. https://doi. org/10. 21272/mmi. 2021. 3-07
Hung Chen, C. (2011). The major components of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Global Responsibility, 2 (1), 85–99. https://doi. org/10. 1108/20412561111128546
Clement, J., Ruysschaert, B., & Crutzen, N. (2023). Smart city strategies – A driver for the localization of the sustainable development goals? Ecological Economics, 213, 107941. https://doi. org/10. 1016/j. ecolecon. 2023. 107941
Deffner, A., & Metaxas, T. (2006). Is city marketing opposed to urban planning? The elaboration of a pilot city marketing plan for the case of Nea Ionia, Magnesia, Greece.
Dril, N., Galkin, A., & Bibik, N. (2016). Applying City Marketing as a Tool to Support Sustainable Development in Small Cities: Case Study in Ukraine. Transportation Research Procedia, 16, 46–53. https://doi. org/10. 1016/j. trpro. 2016. 11. 006
Dubou, G., Bichueti, R.S., Costa, C.R.R. da, Gomes, C.M., Kneipp, J.M., & Kruglianskas, I. (2022). Creating Favorable Local Context for Entrepreneurship: The Importance of Sustainable Urban Development in Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. Sustainability, 14(16), 10132. https://doi. org/10. 3390/su141610132
Ferrari, S., & Guala, C. (2015). Mega-events and their legacy: Image and tourism in Genoa, Turin and Milan. Leisure Studies, 36(1), 119–137. https://doi. org/10. 1080/02614367. 2015. 1037788
Giles-Corti, B., Lowe, M., & Arundel, J. (2020). Achieving the SDGs: Evaluating indicators to be used to benchmark and monitor progress towards creating healthy and sustainable cities. Health Policy, 124(6), 581–590. https://doi. org/10. 1016/j. healthpol. 2019. 03. 001
González, L.R., & Gale, F. (2021). Theorizing Value in Sustainable Urban Branding Strategies. Public Branding and Marketing, 25–41. https://doi. org/10. 1007/978-3-030-70505-3_3
Milner-Gulland, E.J., & Akçakaya, H.R. (2001). Sustainability indices for exploited populations. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 16(12), 686–692. https://doi. org/10. 1016/s0169-5347 (01)02278-9
Heydari Chianeh, R., Sanobor, N., & Saadloniya, H. (2015). An analysis of the role of brand image on urban tourism development, case study: Tabriz metropolis. Quarterly Journal of Urban Research and Planning, 6(22), 79-94.
Kaaya, E.A. (2014). Assesment of Marketing Strategies Tour Operators Use for Marketing and Promotion of Tanzania Tourism Products: A Case of Arusha City (Doctoral dissertation, The Open University of Tanzania).
Kavaratzis, M. (2009). Cities and their brands: Lessons from corporate branding. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 5(1), 26–37. https://doi. org/10. 1057/pb. 2008. 3
Kostić-Stanković, M., & Vukmirović, V. (2016). Brand Design in Function of Sustainable Customer Communication Development. Communication Management.
Lin, Y., & Hu, G. (2022). Design and Communication of City Brand Image Based on Big Data and Personalized Recommendation System. Journal of Function Spaces,1–10. https://doi. org/10. 1155/2022/9378800
Mohammadi Deh Cheshmeh, P. (2021). Investigating the Role of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies in Mountainous Areas (Case of: Shahrekod City). Geographical Studies of Mountainous Regions, 2(3), 107-121.
Mora, L., Gerli, P., Ardito, L., & Messeni Petruzzelli, A. (2023). Smart city governance from an innovation management perspective: Theoretical framing, review of current practices, and future research agenda. Technovation, 123, 102717. https://doi. org/10. 1016/j. technovation. 2023. 102717
Nersesyan, N.A. (2021). The Importance of Historical Stages of Construction Within‌ the Context of Sustainable Urban Development of‌ Hadrut City. Journal of Architectural and Engineering Research, 1(2), 48–55. https://doi. org/10. 54338/27382656-2021. 1-12
Panteleeva, M., & Borozdina, S. (2021). Sustainable Urban Development Strategic Initiatives. Sustainability, 14 (1), 37. https://doi. org/10. 3390/su14010037
Rangkuti, A.E., . R., N., Jalaludin, J.S. bt M., Salleh, N.B.M., & Chin, M.K.S. (2020). MSMEs Marketing Strategies in Increasing Competitiveness in Modern Retail Markets Case Studies Medan City Indonesia and Kota Bharu Malaysia. The International Journal of‌ Business & Management, 8(3). https://doi. org/10. 24940/theijbm/2020/v8/i3/bm2003-039
Reschreiter, R. (2017). New Insights of Profile Oriented Marketing and Adaption Management for a Future-Oriented City Development. International Journal Of Management Science And Business Administration, 3(2), 31–41. https://doi. org/10. 18775/ijmsba. 1849-5664-5419. 2014. 32. 1003
Rufaidah, P. (2014). City marketing model for Bandung city. In International Conferences of Asian Marketing Associations (ICAMA). Sogang University, Seoul, Korea.
Shafigullina, A., Beloborodova, A., Palyakin, R., Martynova, O., & Ahmetshin, R. (2021). Marketing aspects of sustainable urban development in small towns of the Republic of Tatarstan. E3S Web of Conferences, 274, 10022. https://doi. org/10. 1051/e3sconf/202127410022
Sun, F., Ye, C., Zheng, W., & Miao, X. (2022). Model of Urban Marketing Strategy Based on Ecological Environment Quality. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, Portico. https://doi. org/10. 1155/2022/8096122
Teixeira Dias, F., De Aguiar Dutra, A.R., Vieira Cubas, A.L., Ferreira Henckmaier, M.F., Courval, M., & De Andrade Guerra, J.B. (2022). Sustainable development with environmental, social and governance: Strategies for urban sustainability. Sustainable Development, 31(1), 528–539. Portico. https://doi. org/10. 1002/sd. 2407
Wendling, L.A., Huovila, A., zu Castell-Rüdenhausen, M., Hukkalainen, M., & Airaksinen, M. (2018). Benchmarking Nature-Based Solution and Smart City Assessment Schemes Against the Sustainable Development Goal Indicator Framework. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 6. https://doi. org/10. 3389/fenvs. 2018. 00069
Wittwer, S., Hofer, K., & Kaufmann, D. (2023). An urban take on sustainable development policies and corresponding positioning strategies. Npj Urban Sustainability, 3 (1). https://doi. org/10. 1038/s42949-022-00080-y
World Bank, )2020)‌‌. Urban Development Overview‌‌. April 20‌‌. https://www. worldbank‌‌. org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/overview#1.
Yogeshwaran, G., Hemalatha, S., Rohini, A., & Anandhi, V. (2022). A Study on the Brand Image of a Hypermarket in Coimbatore City. Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Amp; Sociology, 486–491. https://doi. org/10. 9734/ajaees/2022/v40i1031101
Zahrah, F. (2023). City Branding Dimensions, Strategies, and Obstacles: A Literature Review. Jurnal Bina Praja, 15(1), 101–109. https://doi. org/10. 21787/jbp. 15. 2023. 101-109
Zhang, M., Wang, L., Zhou, J., & Law, R. (2022). Urban Culture and City Brand: A Study on Food Experience. Journal of Service Science and Management, 15(02), 108–127. https://doi. org/10. 4236/jssm. 2022. 152008
Zhao, Z., Wang, Z., Garcia-Campayo, J., & Perez, H.M. (2025). Correction: Zhao et al. The Dissemination Strategy of an Urban Smart Medical Tourism Image by Big Data Analysis Technology. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 15330. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(2), 259. doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22020259
 
Journal of Urban Ecology Researches
Volume 16, Issue 41
January 2026
Pages 187-198

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 16 April 2024
  • Revise Date: 06 May 2025
  • Accept Date: 09 June 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics