“甜蜜东台”：地标产品符号赋能城市品牌传播研究

“Sweet Dongtai”: Research on the Empowerment of City Brand Communication through Symbolic Enhancement of Landmark Products

摘要: 地理标志产品作为区域特色资源的重要载体，不仅具有产业发展价值，也逐渐成为城市形象传播的重要符号。以东台西瓜为研究对象，基于品牌传播与城市形象传播相关理论，采用文献研究法和案例分析法，探讨地标产品符号赋能城市形象传播的内在机制与实践路径。研究发现，东台西瓜依托优越的自然资源、产业基础和地理标志品牌优势，逐步形成了较高的品牌知名度和地域辨识度，使产品品牌与城市品牌之间建立起稳定的认知关联。在传播过程中，“甜”作为东台西瓜最具代表性的品牌符号，由产品品质特征逐渐延伸为城市气质表达，形成了“甜蜜东台”的品牌意象，实现了产品符号向城市符号的价值转化。同时，品牌塑造、媒介传播、节庆活动和农旅融合等多元传播实践，进一步强化了产品认知、地域认知与城市认知之间的联动关系，推动了产品品牌与城市品牌的协同传播。研究认为，地理标志产品赋能城市形象传播并非单一品牌传播活动，而是产业资源、文化资源和传播资源共同作用下的品牌价值重构过程。东台西瓜的传播实践表明，依托特色地理标志产品构建具有地域文化辨识度的城市品牌，是提升城市形象传播效果和区域品牌竞争力的重要路径，可为同类型地理标志产品参与城市品牌建设提供参考。

Abstract: As an important carrier of regional characteristic resources, Geographical Indication (GI) Products not only deliver industrial development value, but also gradually become core symbols for City Image Communication. Taking Dongtai watermelon as the research object, this paper adopts the literature research method and case analysis method to explore the internal mechanism and practical paths of how GI product symbols empower City Image Communication based on relevant theories of Brand Communication and urban brand construction. The research finds that endowed with superior natural resources, solid industrial foundation and GI brand advantages, Dongtai watermelon has achieved high brand popularity and regional recognition, constructing a stable cognitive correlation between product brands and Urban Brands. In the communication process, “sweetness”, the most typical brand symbol of Dongtai watermelon, has extended from a product quality feature to a representation of urban temperament, forming the brand image of “Sweet Dongtai” and realizing the value transformation from product symbols to urban symbols. Furthermore, diversified communication practices including brand building, media promotion, festival activities and integration of agriculture and tourism strengthen the interactive relationship among product cognition, regional cognition and urban cognition, and boost the coordinated communication of product brands and Urban Brands. This study argues that the empowerment of City Image Communication by Geographical Indication Products is not a single Brand Communication activity, but a brand value reconstruction process driven by the integration of industrial, cultural and communication resources. The communication practice of Dongtai watermelon verifies that building regionally distinctive Urban Brands based on characteristic Geographical Indication (GI) Products is a vital approach to optimize the effect of City Image Communication and enhance regional brand competitiveness, which can provide practical references for similar GI products participating in Urban Brand construction.