All Aboard Belfast’s ‘Brandwagon’: From ‘Pariah City’ to ‘Energised City’

The concept of brand personality is increasingly applied to the contemporary city. During the ‘Troubles’ Belfast - as a ‘pariah city’- was contaminated with a sclerotic brand personality. Recently it has been rebranded as a ‘post-conflict’ and ‘energised’ city. This paper reveals the significant transition in Belfast’s brand personality and also the tensions that exist between historical and contemporary brand personalities. Despite significant progress on destination personality and brand identity, problems remain with regards to brand image and Belfast’s contested past. In addressing the important temporal dimension, this paper adds valuable new insights into our knowledge of city brand personality.