Is the community of Łódź informed about living in creative city? City of Łódź’ branding strategy and its perception

Abstract

In the recent years, one can observe a growing interest in the creativity and its role in local and regional development. Creative businesses, industries, cities or regions seem to be not only a new trend but simply a fashion among both researchers and policy makers. Since this tendency is correlated with the aspirations to build a knowledge-based economy (on both the European and local levels), this perspective is an attractive approach for local and regional development strategies. Also a city of Łódź did not resist the desire to base a development on so called creative industries. Thus, in 2011, a strategy of building a brand of creative city was launched. This direction found its followers and opponents both among circles involved in territorial marketing professionally, and citizens. After two years, a time for monitoring the first effects of the strategy has come. This paper is a description of the results of a interview-based research conducted among the dwellers of agglomeration of Łódź, aiming at verification of the reconcilability of new city brand and thus – an effectiveness and efficacy of this new direction of promoting the city of Łódź.