Exploring Instagram’s Projection of Functional Urban Areas’ Brand Attributes and Values in Poland

Abstract Purpose Municipal authorities utilize branding as a strategic tool to stimulate local economic growth, attract skills, and increase visitor numbers. This paper seeks to explore the categories of brand attributes and brand values included in brand propositions of Functional Urban Areas (FUA) in Poland. The research adopted a social media-based city branding perspective, focusing on content generated by cities forming the core of FUA’s. These brand propositions were specifically examined through their portrayal on the Instagram platform. Methodology Utilizing a qualitative approach, content analysis was performed on 559 posts from official Instagram accounts of nine core cities of Metropolitan FUAs throughout the height of the tourist season. Human coding method was implemented. Findings The analysis identified “nature,” “cityscape,” and “things to do” as the most frequent brand attributes in the examined FUAs. Among brand values, “excitement,” “sincerity,” and “neatness” were most common, with two additional FUA-specific values: “knowledge” and “playfulness”. Practical implications Metropolitan FUA branding on Instagram appears unplanned and somewhat random. Conclusions from the research might be useful in developing the branding strategy of promotion of the FUAs by highlighting the need for intentional, differentiated brand propositions that leverage unique characteristics and are effectively communicated through social media. Originality This paper contributes to the theory of city branding in two areas: the development of a comprehensive list of potential brand attributes and brand values utilized in urban branding activities, and the empirical verification of the adaptability of this list for analyzing branding initiatives undertaken by cities serving as cores of FUAs.