The 2020 ASSA-CASS Joint Action Project titled “Perceived and be perceived: Examining the city branding of Qingdao and Melbourne through a security paradigm in the context of the rocky Chinese Australian relations” is funded by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Chinese Academy of Social Science, a total of $14,000.
This project aims to explore the projection and the perception of the chosen places through the lens of security and will develop digital communication strategies to brand the place in one another’s country for the purpose of forging mutual understanding in the context of uneasy Australia-China relations. It will examine the narratives generated by the key stakeholders (e.g. media and local communities), and the findings will inform the development of the digital communication strategies. The outcome will contribute to the theoretical development of security branding and provide practical input to government decision-making in branding a place. It has the potential to inform the nation branding campaigns, facilitate bilateral business relationship, and contribute to regional security and cooperation.
