Perceptioning as a Tool for Destination Branding: The case of Liguria as Wikidestination

The perceptioning model developed by Bassani et al. (2002, 2007, and 2011) permits to design, launch and develop a strong brand in B2B and B2C markets. In recent years, it has also been used to build wikibrands (Moffit and Dover, 2010) and successful products relying on the high involvement of consumers’ communities in value creation processes. The paper explores how the perceptioning model as a tool for destination branding could also find successful application in other fields such as the tourism sector. After a literature review on place branding and perceptioning, the paper applies this model at a territorial scale by analyzing the case of the region of Liguria in Northwest Italy as a prototype of wikidestination. By relying on a qualitative research design based on interviews and discourse analysis, this paper provides evidence that perceptioning is also a suitable approach for territorial marketing, especially in the case of wikidestinations that are constructed collectively.