Communication, branding center launched in Beijing

A research center for regional communication and branding was recently established in Beijing.

The Place Communication Research Center was unveiled at the 2019 Place Branding International Forum, hosted by the Asia Media Research Center at the Communication University of China and Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning and Design Institute from Oct 26 to 27.

The research center is a platform for academic study, scientific research and international development. It is expected to help change how cities communicate their image by integrating information, such as urban planning, marketing, sociology, regional economy, cultural tourism and human geography .

It will also become a place producing high-end researchers and professionals in regional communication and regional branding who can specialize in cutting-edge concepts and scientific methods, so as to help solve theoretical and practical problems in communication.

As a platform for domestic and foreign scholars to carry out exchanges in the fields of urban culture and regional communication, the center will provide information and resources to support overseas cities in communicating in China, and cities of China going global, the center said.

Wen Chunying, a professor at the Communication University of China, who is also the co-director of the Place Communication Research Center, said the study of urban communication should be multi-disciplinary, cross dimensional and comprehensive.

Wen said urban communication researchers should be able to break disciplinary boundaries and explore the complexities of urban communication from multiple angles, such as spatial planning, urban branding, public diplomacy, cultural tourism and community building.

She added that new methods of urban communication research in the era of big data should be explored. Meanwhile, urban residents should be seen as the main target audience of communication.

The Place Branding International Forum was launched in 2018, aiming to become a collaborative platform for the development of regional brands in China. The forum also promotes urban planning, cultural tourism, community building, public art, branding and marketing.

Themed "Integration and Shared Learning: Contemporary Approaches in Place Communication", the forum this year attracted a number of well-known experts and scholars, urban managers and professionals from the fields of domestic and international regional branding. They discussed trends in the theoretical research for regional brands and urban communication, as well as sharing their views on related issues.

Professor Duan Peng, who is also the vice-president of the Communication University of China said the world is now at a time of integrated communication with urban communication on the rise. A city image and brand with a rich connotation can directly elevate a city’s image in political, economic, cultural fields, and further become an important part of the national image.

Yuan Xin, president of Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning and Design Institute, said urbanization is at a new stage after 40 years of rapid development in China. The institute not only strives to create a distinctive spatial environment through planning and design, but also hopes to support the image of cities in shaping communication through decoding a city’s social, economic and cultural background.