Abstract

Since the 1990s, traditionally associated with marketing strategies to attract tourism, investment, and talent, place branding has become popular in cities worldwide, enhancing the relationship between city diplomacy’s cultural and economic facets. This strategy is predicated on the generally held belief that future rivalry between countries, cities, and businesses will likely be determined more by their capacity to create appealing images and symbols and successfully project them than by their geographic position, natural resources, or prior reputation. After all, city diplomacy refers to a city’s ability to influence behavior of other nations or cities through attraction rather than coercion and force. Thus, branding goes beyond marketing to also influence a city’s international reputation, thus directly supporting diplomatic objectives.  In this sense, this study endeavours to present the contours of the relationship of city diplomacy and city branding, discussing the relevancy of the concepts in 5 Mediterranean port-cities (Piraeus, Marseilles, Genoa, Naples and Barcelona) for the period 2017-2024. In addition to being important Mediterranean ports, these cities have comparable socioeconomic issues, historical significance, and a strategic emphasis on using their marine identities to gain influence internationally. Thus for city managers branding is no longer a kind of marketing tool but a strategic imperative.