BRAND COMMUNICATIONS OF UKRAINIAN TERRITORIES IN WARTIME: FROM RESOURCE POTENTIAL TO RECOVERY STRATEGIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/city-development.2026.2-31Keywords:
place-brand communications, TOWS analysis, territorial branding, Ukrainian regions, strategic positioning, territorial recovery, risk communication, diaspora networks, resilienceAbstract
The relevance of the study stems from the fact that Ukraine’s regions, cities and communities operate in an environment of prolonged security, infrastructural, demographic and informational uncertainty, while still needing to attract investment, international assistance, partnerships, relocated businesses, tourist attention and diaspora support. The aim of the article is to identify ways of transforming the resource potential, weaknesses, external opportunities and threats of Ukrainian territories into practical solutions in the field of strategic brand communications. The methodological basis of the study comprises TOWS analysis, structural and logical analysis, generalisation. The author’s contribution lies in adapting the TOWS approach to the tasks of territorial branding under conditions of war and recovery, as well as in identifying communication products corresponding to each strategic block. The scientific novelty of the study lies in substantiating brand communications of Ukrainian territories as a tool for the organised presentation of resources, risks and recovery needs to different target audiences. The article proposes an applied framework that links territorial assets, vulnerabilities and external opportunities with specific communication products: investment profiles, recovery portfolios, digital community profiles, risk profiles, cultural routes, crisis communications and diaspora engagement programmes. The practical significance of the results lies in the possibility of applying the proposed framework by local self-government bodies, regional military administrations, regional development agencies, investment offices, tourism organisations, donor projects and diaspora structures. The main conclusion of the study is that, under wartime conditions, brand communications of Ukrainian territories should function as an instrument for the strategic organisation of trust. Their effectiveness depends on a region’s capacity to present its resources, risks and recovery needs in the form of concrete proposals for investors, donors, residents, tourists, the diaspora and international partners.
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