Ask anyone to name an archetypal Texan, and you're likely to get a larger-than-life character from film or television (say John Wayne's Davy Crockett or J. R. Ewing of TV's Dallas) or a politician with that certain swagger (think LBJ or George W. Bush). That all of these figures are white and male and bursting with self-confidence is no accident, asserts Leigh Clemons. In this thoughtful study of what makes a "Texan," she reveals how Texan identity grew out of the history—and, even more, the myth—of the heroic deeds performed by Anglo men during the Texas Revolution and the years of the Republic and how this identity is constructed and maintained by theatre and other representational practices. Clemons looks at a wide range of venues in which "Texanness" is performed, including historic sites such as the Alamo, the battlefield at Goliad, and the San Jacinto Monument; museums such as the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum; seasonal outdoor dramas such as Texas! at Palo Duro Canyon; films such as John Wayne's The Alamo and the IMAX's Alamo: The Price of Freedom; plays and TV shows such as the Tuna trilogy, Dallas, and King of the Hill; and the Cavalcade of Texas performance at the 1936 Texas Centennial. She persuasively demonstrates that these performances have created a Texan identity that has become a brand, a commodity that can be sold to the public and even manipulated for political purposes.

This textbook shows how cities, regions and countries adopt branding strategies similar to those of leading household brand names in an effort to differentiate themselves and emotionally connect with potential tourists. It asks whether tourist destinations get the reputations they deserve and uses topical case studies to discuss brand concepts and challenges. It tackles how place perceptions are formed, how cities, regions and countries can enhance their reputations as creative, competitive destinations, and the link between competitive identity and strategic tourism policy making.

For fifteen years, the Texas Master Naturalist program has been hugely successful, training more than 9,600 volunteers who have given almost 2.8 million hours to nature education. This dedicated corps of naturalists provides teaching, outreach, and service in their communities, promoting the appreciation and stewardship of natural resources and natural areas around the state. Hundreds of new volunteers are trained every year, and the Texas Master Naturalist Statewide Curriculum serves as the basis of instruction for trainees who complete a certification course taught under the auspices of more than forty program chapters. The curriculum contains twenty-four units of instruction that range from geology to ornithology to wetland ecology—all written by the state’s top scientists and experts. Available as well to educators, interpreters, and others who may not yet be able to commit to the Texas Master Naturalist program, the curriculum offers an authoritative source of information for anyone seeking to learn more about the natural world in Texas.

In today's highly competitive market, many destinations - from individual resorts to countries - are adopting branding techniques similar to those used by 'Coca Cola', 'Nike' and 'Sony' in an effort to differentiate their identities and to emphasize the uniqueness of their product. By focusing on a range of global case studies, Destination Branding demonstrates that the adoption of a highly targeted, consumer research-based, multi-agency 'mood branding' initiative leads to success every time.

The global population is continually growing with increasing numbers of families moving into metropolitan areas both large and small. As populations increase and uninhabited land decreases, competition between cities becomes more aggressive in order to attract potential investment and to increase population size. In this competitive dynamic, a strong brand presence is critical. And as a result of this, an increased need for city branding has developed. In July of 2009, the city council of San Marcos began work on a project to rebrand the city. The goal of the rebrand was to increase investment and development within the city, attract more tourism, and to create a consistent brand identity and messaging platform. The city released a request for proposals to design agencies that identified the goals of the rebrand as needing to develop a unique and consistent identity for the city in order to successfully attract inward investment to the city. Through the research, process, design, and implementation outlined in this thesis, a new brand identity for the city of San Marcos, Texas is created. The new city brand and identity is an example of consistent brand implementation across multiple marketing mediums including marketing materials, environmental signage, promotional items, and online sites. The brand messaging is implemented through several tactics to increase brand awareness and to attract the target investment groups. This rebranding project additionally supports the need for small municipalities to implement city branding strategies in order to attract its target investment groups. The thesis is followed by a brand process book outlining the process of the new brand creation and its implementation.

This core adoptable textbook provides a comprehensive treatment of branding in Asia, focusing on a wide range of key Asian countries including China, India, Japan, South Korea and members of ASEAN. This edited collection includes a unique blend of theory, research and practice across both consumer and corporate branding and discusses the topics of brand communication, brand relationships, social media branding, brand reputation, place brands, university branding and brand innovation. Looking at the relationship between companies, brands and consumers, this book highlights the need for a variety of strategic responses to meet the needs of different Asian consumers. Asia Branding is the perfect resource for branding and international marketing undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA students looking to gain further insight into this fascinating subject.