This paper critically examines place branding strategies across the urban-rural spectrum, identifying conceptual gaps in how branding strategies are formulated and applied in different spatial contexts. While extensive literature exists on urban place branding, frameworks for rural, remote, and peripheral areas remain underdeveloped. We question why urban-centric approaches fail in rural settings and we explore theoretical foundations needed for effective rural-peripheral place branding, examining whether socio-economic structure, stakeholder composition, and place identity formation differences necessitate distinct theoretical approaches.