The intended image of a place brand: A Danish case study

This chapter studies the counterproductive impact of a place image on the entrepreneurial activities ina rural Danish municipality. Nationally, the municipality is rated 'very good' in terms of traditionalbusiness environment measurements. However, this stands in stark contrast to the historically embeddedimage of the municipality. In this chapter the intended image of the municipality is compared to the imageas it is perceived by newcomers. The study shows that historically embedded images of places are hardto manage and change when they involve elements with negative appeal towards a specific target audiencee.g. entrepreneurs. The branding problem for the municipality is shown to be the conflict betweenthe brands of history, entrepreneurial spirit, family friendly town, and tourism etc. To manage a placebrand so diverse is almost impossible and it is clearly demonstrated that the solution has been to brandthe place as everything for everybody.