POPULATION PERCEPTION OF CREATING THE BRAND OF THE CITY OF OSIJEK WITH AN EMPHASIS IN THE FIELD OF CULTURE

A city brand should add value to the city and in the process of building one, it is necessary to consider the values and perceptions of internal and external stakeholders, especially the local population. The purpose of the study is to observe the population's perception about the construction of the brand of the City of Osijek with an emphasis on culture. For the purposes of the research, a survey questionnaire was created, and it was conducted among the local population of the City of Osijek. The survey questionnaire consisted of questions related to socio-demographic characteristics of respondents, questions that related to the respondents'assessment of the cultural identity of the city on its heritage and public preferences, and their assessment of the need for branding Osijek. In order to process the research results, a qualitative and quantitative analysis was conducted. The results of the research show that the majority of respondents agree that the cultural identity of the City of Osijek is based on its heritage, while a smaller share of those agree that such an identity is based on public preferences. Therefore, for the successful branding of the City of Osijek, it is extremely important, first, to talk to the local community. Given that the branding of the city is a long-term process, the proposal for further research is to constantly consider the possibility of implementing an appropriate branding strategy of the City of Osijek in the field of culture.