Integrating Marketing and Linguistic Perspectives in Sustainable Tourism: Greenspeak in Copenhagen’s Place Branding

Abstract

Tourism destinations increasingly turn to place branding as a strategic response to sustainability challenges. Building on this trend, the present study investigates how Copenhagen’s brand is discursively constructed in the CopenPay campaign, a sustainability initiative launched by Visit Copenhagen to incentivize eco-friendly tourist behaviors through rewards. By analyzing two promotional videos released in 2024 and 2025 as part of the campaign, the study explores how sustainability is framed through progressive values, civic engagement, and affective appeal. The analysis is grounded in two theoretical frameworks: the Nordic wave of place branding, which emphasizes social responsibility, participatory governance, and cultural pluralism; and ecolinguistics, which explores how language shapes ecological values and imaginaries. Methodologically, the study adopts Positive Discourse Analysis to examine how empowering narratives are constructed through linguistic choices and rhetorical strategies. Findings reveal that the campaign mobilizes greenspeak—a form of environmental discourse that blends ethical messaging with promotional intent. Sustainability is framed as a pleasurable and emotionally rewarding experience, which both empowers tourists as ethical agents and reinforces Copenhagen’s brand as an environmentally responsible destination. However, the analysis also identifies discursive silences, which manifest in the neglect of structural critiques related to tourism’s environmental impact and social sustainability issues. This paper contributes to interdisciplinary debates on sustainability communication and place branding by demonstrating how discourse is both a branding tool and an ideological construct. In doing so, the study offers practical insights for tourism marketers and encourages more transparent and critically reflective sustainability narratives in urban place branding.