Effects of DMO Coordination on Destination Brand Identity: A Mixed-Method Study on the City of Edinburgh

Academic literature has paid little attention to stakeholder coordination and branding from a supply-side perspective. This article tries to fill this gap by applying the concept of internal brand strength to destination brands and analyzing whether stakeholder coordination has an impact on the destination brand. A mixed-method design involving stakeholders working within Edinburgh, Scotland, revealed that within the city there is mixed commitment to the brand, and some coordination mechanisms appear more useful than others for ensuring that stakeholders are committed to and adopt brand values in their work. This article makes apparent that internal communication and "socialization" processes are fundamental activities to which destination marketing organization (DMO) managers should pay attention if they want stakeholders to become committed to the destination brand values and adopt them in their work. © 2012 SAGE Publications.