Creating a Brand Concept or How to Find the Meaning of the Territory (a Case Study «Syktyvkar - the Capital of the Forest»)

Branding is an actual and relatively new area of activity for the development of territories. There are various interpretations of this concept, as a result of which there is not always a correct interpretation of its purpose, tools, technological schemes. It is promising to consider a brand from the point of view of social history as the ability to create value energy through the translation of the meaning of the territory. The initial stage of branding involves the formulation of a concept based on knowledge about the territory. The brand concept is the meaning of the territory in the opinion of the local population, expressed through symbols and associations. Historically, the meaning of the territory was formed, fi rst of all, under the infl uence of the geographical factor, which then determined the socio-cultural characteristics of the local population. In this regard, the main task of the brand developers is to transform the physical and geographical characteristics and cultural and geographical objects of the territory into symbolic capital, which in the future should give stable economic indicators. Since 2021, the capital of the Komi Republic has been developing a brand «Syktyvkar – the capital of the Forest». Syktyvkar is a center of timber processing, education, science, culture and sports. The concept of the brand «Syktyvkar - the capital of the Forest» is an idea that can make the city recognizable, unite local residents, attract professionals and give an additional impetus to the development of the territory.