The all-Russian seminar Ethnocultural branding as a resource of cultural policy: theory and practices

The article analyzes the main ideas expressed by representatives of the academic and expert community from various regions of Russia at the interactive seminar Ethnocultural Branding as a Resource of Cultural Policy held in Krasnodar Krai for employees of municipal methodological services and cultural institutions. The goals of the seminar were to establish fruitful relationships between specialists in the field of culture, to theoretically support activities to preserve the heritage of the Homeland, to facilitate the process of forming a single cultural space of the country. The analytical review of the seminar presented by the author is based on the presentation of speeches by its participants, who were engaged in territorial branding in theoretical and practical aspects. The leading world concepts of territorial branding are characterized; theoretical and practical approaches used in the implementation of cultural branding concepts are highlighted, its independent position among other areas of territorial branding is noted. The main characteristics of a cultural brand, a system of criteria for its formation, and a methodology for assessing its effectiveness are reflected. The article presents the experience of creating regional brands based on almost forgotten cultural heritage sites in Novgorod, Tyumen, Omsk and Lipetsk Oblasts. It also presents a practical diagram of a brand ecosystem that includes a media guide to intangible heritage, a map of ethnocultural local brands, and a content platform. The article shows the experience of branding various intangible cultural heritage sites (the Russian folk calendar, traditional belt wrestling and evening traditions of Russian Old-Timers, Chaldon cuisine, Cherlak songs of the Cossacks, Ust-Ishim painting, etc.). It emphasizes the danger of branding an alternative culture that is not verified by historical evidence, as well as artificial stylization that does not correspond to original cultural forms. The participants of the seminar touched upon the problems of losing centuries-old traditions and breaking intergenerational ties. The results of the event show that systematic work on ethnocultural branding is becoming an effective means of updating heritage and implementing the fundamental tasks of cultural policy. Ethnocultural branding requires systematic work of an interdisciplinary nature with the involvement of a wide range of specialists in the field of management, lawmaking, culture, education, media, the cultural industry, marketing, and PR technologies.