Cluster branding - a case study on regional cluster initiatives, cluster management, and cluster brands

Cluster initiatives are believed to be important ways of increasing the competitiveness of companies within a region. The establishment of a strong cluster brand is considered a prerequisite for the success of a cluster initiative. Up to now, however, regional cluster brands have remained relatively unexplored. This study aims to transfer the identity-based understanding of brands to regional cluster brands and to analyse the following topics with a qualitative study using 13 interviews with actors from two different clusters as well as secondary data (e.g., homepages, image brochures, project documentation): functions of regional cluster brands; role of cluster management; importance of brand origin as identity anchor; operationalisation of brand identity.