TERRITORIAL BRAND COMMUNICATIONS AS A MECHANISM OF TRUST AND INVESTMENT DECISION-MAKING IN UKRAINE’S ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION AND RECOVERY

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to provide a conceptual justification for brand communications as a mechanism for building trust and supporting investment decision-making in Ukraine’s recovery. The methodology. The study adopts a theoretical–conceptual design, combining an analytical synthesis of signaling theory, institutional economics, and trust models with qualitative analysis of official documents, regulatory acts, and selected cases, as well as materials produced by international institutions. The findings refine the meaning of articulating transformations as a purposeful public explanation of changes in rules, institutions, and the economic structure in parameters relevant to risk assessment. Evidence suitable for verification is defined as documents, data, registries, audit trails, and formalised procedures that enable reproducible verification of public claims within the framework of due diligence. Minimal criteria of such suitability are proposed: an identifiable source; the ability to cross-check a claim against a primary document or data; reproducibility of verification by another party; and relevance to the investor’s key risk-related queries. The vectors for articulating transformations are delineated in the article in accordance with the logic of investor risk assessment. Each vector corresponds to a specific category of risk and specifies the message content for the target audience, the set of verifiable evidence on which the message is based, and the channels of communication that are compatible with due diligence procedures. In this context, the study delineates five vectors – institutional–instrumental, structural-technological, spatial-organisational, communication-coordination, and national-reputational – and further identifies a promotional-informational loop as an instrumental dimension for communicating validated content without generating new, unsubstantiated promises. The practical value of the findings is that the proposed approaches may be used by public authorities, development agencies, and investment instruments to analyse, manage, and standardise public claims about recovery; align the vocabulary of risks and guarantees; describe open methods for verifying key messages; and reduce inconsistencies between institutional positions – thereby supporting the transition from general interest to decisions on investment, partnership, and business relocation.