Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Department of Management, Mo.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
2 Department of Management, Dol.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
Abstract
In the era of globalization and increasing competition between cities to attract investment, tourists, elites, and human resources, city branding has become a strategic and vital tool. The aim of this research is to extract the concept of city brand using data from social networks. The subject of the research is the brand of the city of Isfahan, which is famous among tourists in half the world and has recently been selected as the capital of Islamic culture and civilization of Iran. This research is developmental-applied in terms of its purpose and exploratory in terms of its nature and method. Data related to hashtags used with the city of Isfahan as the centerpiece on the Instagram network and using the hashtag "#Isfahan". Two methods of descriptive statistics and semantic network analysis were used to analyze the research data with a three-stage approach of definition, measurement, and visualization. The results of clustering related concepts showed that Isfahan's urban brand consisted of six clusters of related and intertwined concepts, which were named as "Tourist Places and Attractions", "Old Isfahan", "Neighboring Neighborhoods and Cities", "Social Description of the City and People", "Business", and "Art of Isfahan". Identifying conceptual clusters related to Isfahan's urban brand helps policymakers and urban managers to make more accurate plans for the development and marketing of these sectors. The results of this study can also be used as a strategic map for planning and implementing urban, tourism, and social development policies in Isfahan.
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