3.3. Qualitative analysis of the place branding
literature
This part of the review provides two main findings.
Firstly, after categorizing the keywords derived from the
qualitative analysis, seven different research perspectives
emerged. Secondly, each of these seven perspectives
could in turn be connected to other well-established
research approaches in human geography, as the articles
draw on different theoretical frameworks and concepts
from geography in their studies of place branding.
The analysis also shows that a few articles are critical
of place branding, but many consider place branding
being positive, arguing for its benefits and possibilities.
Some papers represent a more neutral approach, presenting
place branding as neither good nor bad, and merely
comment on the phenomenon as such. Naturally, some
papers are conceptually, empirically or otherwise related
to more than one of the identified approaches, but each
paper can be said to have basis in one of the identified