When place brand and place logo matches: VRIO applied to place branding

In an ever more interconnected global landscape, countries, regions, and cities leverage place branding as a means of remaining competitive. However, they do not always align their brand and resources adequately for competitive advantage. The main objective of this study is to examine the potential strategic directions for enhancing the attributes and development of a country's brand based on the value, rarity, inimitability, and organization (VRIO) framework. By analysing the logo, as the visual vector of a country's brand image, we demonstrated how a country's resources are integrated into the place brand. The research gathered secondary data and conducted indirect observations, focusing on Brazil's brand as the subject of analysis. The study's primary contributions are encapsulated in three focused guidelines: (i) innovation: emphasizes the importance of researching public (internal and external) perceptions regarding the image and reputation of the country brand; (ii) improvement: underscores the need for collaboration between municipal, state, federal entities, and private sectors and suggests enhancing the positioning within well-regarded country-brand indices, developing public policies to foster stakeholder growth, and strengthening the involvement of all stakeholders; and (iii) extrapolation: suggests the creation of a fresh, competitive, and contemporary slogan. Likewise, we recommend generating specific taglines that reinforce the brand's role across various competitive advantages tailored to specific campaigns and target markets. Furthermore, it suggests identifying and enhancing soft power foundations to elevate awareness and knowledge about Brazil's resources and assets for prospective environmental, social, and economic partnerships. Logos reveal a visual icon portrayal of place branding development yet demand vigorous actions focused on the tangible and intangibles resources and assets of a country, region, or place. The study's implications are valuable for various stakeholders, including brand strategists, local authorities, practitioners, and policymakers, supporting them in refining development approaches to place branding within the realm of strategic management of places.