Village branding and strategic communication: a co-creation approach to enhance rural tourism villages in Indonesia case study

Branding activity for the rural tourism village is important through the co-creation process to support the ownership and legitimacy among the community. However, the implementation is not that simple. This project investigates the challenges of building brand identity for a rural tourism village through co-creation. The methods used in this project include interviews, focus group discussions, and workshops, which encourage the local community to participate in shaping the brand identity. The project also utilizes an iterative process to listen and revise the prototype according to the suggestions of the participants, which reflects their unique potential through logos, slogans, and visual designs. The implication of the findings included models of co-creation that have been done in six different villages of Indonesia with their unique local values and aspirations. Three dominant themes in rural tourism village branding are found in the rural villages, such as heritage, authenticity, and sustainability. The pattern of stages to formulate the village branding through the co-creation process is also explored through identification, defining brand core values, actionable edicts, and engagement of local businesses and decision makers.