The Impact of Iconic City Branding Projects on Surrounding Neighborhoods. A Case Study of Milad Tower, Tehran, Iran

City branding is defined as the practice of applying brand strategy and other marketing techniques and disciplines to the economic, social, political and cultural development of cities to reinforce the city image, and therefore its tourism industry. One of the city branding strategies is the establishment of symbolic and semiotic structures in cities in order to create a distinctive identity for the city and a clear image of the city in the users’ minds. It seems that these semiotic landmarks have specific influence on the environment and lifestyle of the people living near them. Thus, this research aims to investigate the influence of huge iconic structures, built as the city symbol and tourism brand, on the nearby neighborhoods and residents’ lifestyle, as well as the way they affect each other in a mutual relationship. For this purpose, a theoretical framework has been made based on the literature review of place branding, and also the role of residents in the process of creating a city brand. Next, the case of Milad Tower, as Tehran’s new brand, and its impact on Gisha neighborhood, located in the southern side of the tower, has been studied in order to grasp a deeper understanding of the subject and answer the research question through conducting 23 semi-structured interviews with Gisha’s residents. The findings imply that there is a meaningful reciprocal relationship between the brand and the user; according to results, because Milad tower has been built in an autocratic way in which city branding managers have ignored the feelings, perceptions, and needs of Gisha’s residents toward their neighborhood and their city’s new brand, the residents have a tendency to neglect Milad Tower in return, causing this project to face challenges in achieving its high goals as a successful city brand.