Dumbo in the Room

Throughout the course of this decade, the Sunshine State has emerged as one of America’s fastest growing states. As cities compete for opportunities to expand their tax base and achieve other municipally-centered goals, cities are faced with the challenge to differentiate themselves among their peers to cash-in on these opportunities. One way to accomplish this is by engaging in marketing and branding. There is little that is known about the utilization of marketing and branding from the administrative local practitioner point-of-view from an American perspective. While it is understood that many cities engage in marketing and branding related activities, there is more to learn about the rationale behind the decisions that city managers and communications officials make regarding whether to participate in those activities. This research addresses a research gap and answers the fundamental question: At the city level, how are branding, marketing and social marketing currently utilized by public managers and individuals in charge of communications? Utilizing surveys and interviews from cities across Florida, this dissertation provides a better understanding of how public administrators view marketing, branding, social marketing through a strategic management lens and discovers the degree their cities are utilizing these elements to achieve goals put forward by municipal leadership across the state.