With the tendency to increase their competitiveness in the global market, cities are embarking on the branding process. They emphasize their specialties and qualities with which they will attract more tourists and investors, increase exports, be perceived as a desirable destination for life and ultimately increase their profits. The city of Vrbovec has the potential for branding in Croatia, which has long been recognized for its cultural sights, meat processing industry (PIK Vrbovec), preserved tradition, gastronomic offer, and most of all for the tourist - culinary event "What did our ancestors eat" which ends every year August takes place in Vrbovec. Vrbovec already has two recognized brands, namely PIK Vrbovec and the event "What did our ancestors eat", and soon Vrbovečka pera will become the first product in Croatia that will carry the form of protection Guaranteed traditional specialty. It is this event that promotes Vrbovec as a center with traditional food that the people of Vrbovec are proud of. The aim of this paper was to determine the current state of the brand of the city of Vrbovec and empirically investigate the elements that the local population of the city of Vrbovec and its surroundings perceive as recognizable and on the basis of which to build a brand. This paper explored how these facts are viewed by its residents who identify with it. In order to achieve the best offer, it is considered that the population plays a very important role when it comes to the development of a tourist destination as well as the overall strengths that should be highlighted and shortcomings that should be reduced in order to create the city of Vrbovec as a brand.