Experiential Strategies for the Survival of Small Cities in Europe

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse, discuss and evaluate different methods of branding applied in experiential strategies for the survival of small cities in Europe. After the introduction that refers to the advent of the experience economy in the post-Fordist era, the article introduces various branding methods applied in experiential strategies. Then follows an analysis of how those branding methods are applied in experiential strategies for the development and survival of two small cities in Germany, Dresden and Wolfsburg, in which car production and city development have been combined. The article concludes with an evaluation of the branding methods, which includes considerations of whether they can be used as models of survival for other small European cities. The evaluation refers to recent views on the question of representation and authenticity, and the role of cultural heritage in experiential strategies.

Notes

On orthography: I translate all Danish and German quotations, although proper names and some slogans will appear in German. The special spelling of proper names used by Volkswagen AG (henceforth VAG) and Wolfsburg AG like “AutoStadt” has been retained both in German and English instances.