ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Commun.
Sec. Culture and Communication
Shaping Place Identity through Cultural Storytelling: Strategic Communication in a Small Mountain City
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia
- 2Telkom University, Bandung, Indonesia
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City branding has increasingly become a strategic approach in regional development; however, studies focusing on small and semi-urban regencies, particularly those in mountainous regions, remain limited. Small cities often possess rich cultural, historical, and natural assets that are underrepresented in broader branding discourse. This study examines how cultural storytelling functions as a form of strategic communication in shaping city branding using the City Brand Hexagon framework. A qualitative case study design was employed, and data were collected through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with cross-sector stakeholders and document analysis. The case of Magetan Regency in East Java, Indonesia, illustrates how branding emerges from communicative practices that integrate cultural narratives, local history, and natural tourism potential. The findings reveal that Magetan's brand identity is constructed through the balance of six dimensions: Presence, Place, Potential, People, Pulse, and Prerequisites, which reflect both symbolic meaning and infrastructural readiness. These elements are embodied in the visual identity featuring the tagline "Magetan Ngangeni" and a logo representing Mount Lawu, the Lawu Starling, the keris, and natural motifs. The study concludes that cultural storytelling-based city branding operates not only as a promotional tool but also as a participatory communication process that negotiates place identity, fosters collaboration, and strengthens regional competitiveness in a sustainable manner.
Keywords: city branding, cultural storytelling, place identity, Strategic communication, Public Relations
Received: 25 Sep 2025; Accepted: 19 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Rahmanto and Fariza. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Muhammad Rio Fariza, muhammadriofariza@telkomuniversity.ac.id
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