Digitalization of coastal nature experiences within a collaborative innovation network: Regional ecosystem branding approach of DigiNature Satakunta project in the west coast of Finland

Abstract

<p>Covid-19 pandemic has initiated increased attention to digitalizing the visitors' experiences to enhance<br>accessibility of destinations and the co-creative potential on new technologies. In the situation when<br>there is no recognizable regional nature experience brand (such as the case with Satakunta, Finland),<br>its micro brands focused on the specific attractions and experiences should use the benefits of more<br>cooperative ecosystem branding strategy utilising digitalization and platforms to co-create more<br>innovative and meaningful brand experiences. The research aims to examine the dynamics of nature<br>and culture experience-based collaborative innovation ecosystem by depicting the regional network<br>actors' (public and private companies and community representatives) collaborative efforts to co-create<br>meaningful and innovative experiences stimulated with modern technology in the context of Satakunta's<br>regional umbrella brand. Following a network logic, the actors' mutual ties were examined using dynamic<br>network analysis that acknowledges the importance of spatial and temporal attributes and their<br>particularities, focusing primarily on the strength of the digitalized nature experiences as a critical factor<br>in the ecosystem dynamics. <br>An ecosystem approach focuses on the dynamic and collaborative value-adding relationships by<br>investigating the resources and knowledge shared by the diverse stakeholders of the Diginature project<br>(www.digiluonto.fi/about-diginature-project) that contribute towards the regional ecosystem branding.<br>The Diginature project was identified as a stimulus for creating a collaborative regional innovation<br>network, using its scientific and practical outputs as the most significant network inputs. Three vital<br>phases of the network dynamics will be examined, firstly, the layer of pre-project network existence,<br>secondly project induced ecosystem collaboration, and finally, post-project network capacity to capture<br>the future perspective of ecosystem evolution. <br></p>