Evaluation of Internal Communication in Healthcare Organizations

Contemporary Business Concepts ISSN: 2547-8516 and Strategies in the new Era ISBN: 978-9963-711-90-1 THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN CITY BRANDING Rojíková, Darina1; Vaňová, Anna1; Vitálišová Katarína1; Borseková, Kamila2 1Department of Public Economics and Regional Development, Faculty of Economics, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia 2Research and Innovation Centre, Faculty of Economics, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia ABSTRACT The role of communication in the theory of branding is overestimated or underestimated by the authors. New possibilities of communication through social media provide cities with new opportunities to communicate with the target audience, thereby influencing the perception of the city's image and subsequently place branding. Based on a theoretical overview, the paper defines the brand of a city and the role of marketing communication, especially social networks, in its construction. The aim of the paper is to identify the most used social media platforms and the degree of use of their potential for communication and branding of selected European and Slovak cities. Based on empirical research in 18 selected European cities and on the whole set of cities (141 towns and cities) in the Slovak Republic, we identified the social media used and analysed their use in creating a city brand through the model of digital communication of the city. The conclusion of the article summarises the results of the research and points out the possibilities of using social media in city branding.