Title: Cluster branding - a case study on regional cluster initiatives, cluster management, and cluster brands

Authors: Oliver Mauroner; Josephine Zorn

Addresses: School of Business, University of Applied Sciences Mainz, Lucy-Hillebrand-Str. 2, 55128 Mainz, Germany ' Faculty of Media, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, Helmholtzstr. 15, 99425 Weimar, Germany

Abstract: Cluster initiatives are believed to be important ways of increasing the competitiveness of companies within a region. The establishment of a strong cluster brand is considered a prerequisite for the success of a cluster initiative. Up to now, however, regional cluster brands have remained relatively unexplored. This study aims to transfer the identity-based understanding of brands to regional cluster brands and to analyse the following topics with a qualitative study using 13 interviews with actors from two different clusters as well as secondary data (e.g., homepages, image brochures, project documentation): functions of regional cluster brands; role of cluster management; importance of brand origin as identity anchor; operationalisation of brand identity.

Keywords: regional cluster; cluster initiative; cluster management; cluster branding; cluster identity; regional competitiveness; qualitative case study.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIRD.2017.086234

International Journal of Innovation and Regional Development, 2017 Vol.7 No.4, pp.290 - 312

Received: 29 Jul 2016
Accepted: 08 Apr 2017
Published online: 03 Sep 2017 *

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