Branding the Creative City through Music: Stakeholder Engagement on Social Media
Purpose: This study examines the role of social media in the strategic communication of place brands within the framework of a UNESCO City of Music. It investigates how digital platforms are utilized to promote a city’s cultural identity, communicate place-brand values, and foster stakeholder engagement through music-related content. Design/methodology/approach: Using a digital ethnography approach, this research analyzes 868 Instagram posts published on the official Katowice Music City account. Content analysis was employed to classify posts according to thematic categories, communication strategies, and engagement indicators. Audience responses, including likes, comments, and interaction patterns, were examined to identify the types of content that generate the highest levels of stakeholder engagement and contribute most effectively to place-brand communication. Findings: The findings indicate that several social media communication strategies are particularly effective in enhancing audience engagement and increasing the visibility of place-brand messages. Content emphasizing live music events, artist participation, cultural experiences, and community involvement generated significantly higher engagement rates than posts focusing on institutional communication or the city’s UNESCO designation. The results suggest that stakeholder engagement is influenced more strongly by tangible cultural and musical experiences than by abstract place-brand attributes and official recognitions. Furthermore, interactive and visually rich content was found to strengthen emotional connections between audiences and the city brand. These findings demonstrate the importance of aligning social media communication with audience interests and experiential dimensions of place identity. Practical implications: The study provides practical guidance for place-brand managers, cultural policymakers, and destination marketing organizations seeking to improve the effectiveness of their digital communication strategies. The results highlight the need to prioritize stakeholder-centered content, emphasize authentic cultural experiences, and leverage social media platforms as tools for co-creating place-brand value and strengthening relationships with local and international audiences. The findings may also support UNESCO Creative Cities and other culturally oriented destinations in designing more effective online engagement strategies. Originality/value: This study contributes to the growing literature on place branding, social media, and stakeholder engagement by examining the digital communication practices of a UNESCO Creative City of Music. It advances understanding of how creative cities use social media to construct and communicate place identities and demonstrates the relative effectiveness of different content strategies in generating public engagement. By integrating perspectives from place branding, cultural policy, and digital communication, the study offers a novel empirical contribution to research on creative-city branding in the social media era.