Branding cities: Different and yet the same

Almost all cities brand themselves. But as each city strives to impress upon us how special and unique they are, there is also a feeling that they are oddly similar. Visitors find similar shops, branded theme parks, observation towers, art festivals and sporting tournaments. As much as places want to be different, they are also making themselves homogenous.

In this lecture presented by the MA Arts and Cultural Leadership programme, Prof Ooi Can Seng looks at this phenomenon and what it says about places and how we enjoy them.
 

About the speaker

Can-Seng Ooi is a sociologist and anthropologist. Over three decades, 'intangible values' have become the underlying phenomena he is studying. The negotiation and maintenance of intangible values are central in his investigations on tourism-community relations, the tourist experience, place branding, the creative industries, art worlds, cultural development, work in the tourism and hospitality industry, and intercultural interaction.

Can-Seng has worked and lived in different countries, including Australia, Singapore, Denmark and the UK. His earlier appointments include: editor of the Copenhagen Journal of Asian Studies and Asian Matters: Theory, Society and Culture, and Professor of International Business and Culture Industry at Copenhagen Business School. His dedication to teaching and to his students have won him more than a dozen teaching awards. Besides research and teaching, he is a strong supporter of engaged scholarship, that is, making his research relevant to the community and business.

This lecture is presented as: