Antecedents of Bandırma residents' city brand attitudes

Nowadays, cities would like to take advantage in competitive environment just like products and services. They expect to come forward in areas like investment, trade, transportation, education etc. This study aims to suggest differentiating analyzes and recommendations about the branding process of Bandırma district of Balıkesir in sense of sociology, culture, economics, natural beauties and et. al. within the concept "brand-city". City-dwellers of Bandırma has been taken as sample of this study. Questionnaire decided as the research method of the study and in total 987 responds were collected. Stratified sampling method decided as the sampling method of the study. Data of the study was collected through questionnaires composed of seven-point Likert scale. Collected data has been analyzed through Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) 24 packet program. This study makes use of descriptive statistics, unrelated samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation and regression analysis methods as analyze methods. According to results; "wind", "coast", "Bandırma Boat", a local cheese named "Kelle" and "university" were the evocating words when participants first think about Bandırma district. Results also shows that city-dwellers find public areas, public transportation, shopping places and et. al insufficient. They define Bandırma as a proper place for steady family life and social people. In addition to this, city has been found as insufficient in sense of career opportunities. In light of such results, participants attitude has been taken into consideration and several recommendations were offered to develop the district. Keywords: Brand, Bandırma, Brand City, Cities, Attitude.