At the core of Aarhus 2017 we find a number of different actors, especially cultural institutions, who choose to enter into different forms of cooperation and partnerships. In connection with the evaluation of Aarhus 2017, it is therefore highly relevant from a communicative perspective to approach being part of Aarhus 2017 as participating in a co-branding process. More specifically, the focus of this particular project is the value-creation’s impact on image and identity of the parties involved.

The underlying reasons for deciding to participate in 2017 can be many: explicit as well as implicit, tangible as well as intangible, and resource-based as well as symbolic. Therefore, it becomes relevant to explore the drivers among the cultural institutions. To what extent are they driven by practical/tangible motivations as opposed to symbolic/image-oriented motivations?

As this research project approaches Aarhus 2017 from a communicative perspective on co-branding and strategic partnerships, it further becomes interesting to explore the communication of the Aarhus 2017 theme and values and their impact on the partnership. How is the value communication unfolded in practice? What importance does it have for the parties involved that Aarhus 2017 has predefined the core values for the partnership? And, to what extent do the cultural institutions see a match between their own (identity-based) values and the values decided upon by Aarhus 2017 as a prerequisite for participating?

Finally, to further unfold the aspects of drivers and (mis)matching values between partners, a corresponding analysis of corporate sponsors of Aarhus 2017 will be carried out. Are there any differences in the drivers, motivations and expectations for participating among cultural institutions and corporate sponsors, respectively?