Symbolic Repertoires for City Branding Beyond Casinos: The Case of Macau

This study attempts to identify the symbolic artifacts shared by Chinese and English media in regard to cultural and historical representations of Macau beyond its known image as a casino city. It applies Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT) and Fantasy Theme Analysis (FTA), aiming to provide a new operational method for textual analysis of Macau city branding. It examines fantasy themes embodied in media reports, blog articles and promotion materials, which were collected from three media types, namely earned media, shared media and owned media. Then the symbolic realities in varied media are compared. This research has identified 11 fantasy themes that have nongaming elements. We found the symbolic pictures of Macau represented in various media types to be different. The rhetoric of the themes was just flowing on the surface of the senses, and hardly ignites a deeper and enduring emotion for brand recognition.