'Tangled up in Bob': An ethnographic case study of the impact of local Bob Dylan heritage on place branding in Hibbing, Minnesota

摘要

This case study explores avenues for symbiotic co-branding of local music heritage sites in Hibbing, Minnesota, an isolated mining town with a strong local culture, where Bob Dylan grew up and lived from 1947 to 1959. Music heritage based tourism focusing on sites of biographical significance is a growth sector in countries with mature tourism and music industries, such as the US and the UK. Based on two field visits and correspondence, this ethnographic study applies ethnographic aims to generate an understanding of the perspectives and orientations of key Hibbing stakeholders. Issues of access to the field and the negotiation of multiple roles of the researcher as fan, observer and participator are discussed. Findings provide a holistic image of events, drivers and barriers and 'tell the story' of the contribution of Hibbing's Bob Dylan heritage towards a local sense of place. Building on the conceptualisation of 'place brand' as a relational network which emerges as an ongoing interactive process between 'place' and all its stakeholders, the paper suggests ways in which Dylan's Hibbing heritage can both further attract and inform his fan base while recognising local sensitivities and resources. It describes the local efforts towards symbiotic co-branding, leveraging the Dylan heritage within a developing distinctive Hibbing brand, which also includes outdoor recreation, a mining history of national importance and the origins of the Greyhound Bus Company. The skills which readers may gather from this paper lie in how organisations involved in place management, marketing and tourism with limited resources can address aspects of 'cultural tourism' in small-scale settings and effectively meet the needs of both the local communities and visitors.