Place promotion and marketing

The evolution of the image of Spain as a tourist destination

by Marta Plumed Lasarte

From the central government, the institutional promotion of tourism has played an important role in the development of... more From the central government, the institutional promotion of tourism has played an important role in the development of tourism in Spain and undoubtedly has contributed to the achievement of the leader position that Spain has as a tourist destination. This institutional promotion had an early beginning and a strong growth with the creation of an entity which will become the current “Instituto de Turismo Español”, as we will see in the full paper.
Since its inception, the institutional promotion has adapted to the successive tourist market’s needs without changing abruptly or running risks. All this development has been based on the professionalization of the Spanish promotion, thanks to a strong team of experts both within government and outside it, with companies specialized in advertising and marketing. The “Instituto de Turismo Español” has always been clear about the importance of tourism both socially and economically, not to mention the increasing competitiveness of the tourist market, where Spain has always had a privileged role.
Throughout this paper we analyze all the actions and promotional campaigns developed in Spain, examining through examples its promotional strategy, whose aim has always been the conveying of a good image of Spain as a tourist destination.

Will climate change kill Santa Claus?: The potential impacts of climate change on place competition

by C. Michael Hall

Hall, C. M. (2011). Will climate change kill Santa Claus?: The potential impacts of climate change on place competition, pp.99-118 in Society, Environment and Place in Northern Regions, eds. M. Nuttall, H. Strauss & K. Tervo-Kankare, University of Oulu, Thule Institute, Oulu.
ISBN 978-951-42-9741-0 (Electronic version of the volume).

Exploring the Virtual South: The Idea of a Distinctive Region on" The Web"

by Derek Alderman

Alderman, Derek H., and Daniel B. Good. 1997. “Exploring the Virtual South: The Idea of a Distinctive Region on the Web.” Southeastern Geographer 37(1): 20-45.

Place, Place Identity, and Phenomenology

by David Seamon

A chapter in The Role of Place Identity in the Perception, Understanding, and Design of the Built Environment, Hernan Casakin, Ombretta Romice, & Sergio Porta, editors. London: Betham Science Publishers, 2011. © 2011 David Seamon.

As recent phenomenological studies have demonstrated (Casey 1997, 2009; Malpas 1999, 2006; Mugerauer 2008; Stefanovic... more As recent phenomenological studies have demonstrated (Casey 1997, 2009; Malpas 1999, 2006; Mugerauer 2008; Stefanovic 2000), the phenomenon of place is a multivalent structure sophisticated and complex in its existential constitution. In this chapter, I offer one phenomenological vantage point from which to examine this lived complexity. I contend that, as an integral structure of human life, place can be understood in terms of three dimensions: first, the geographical ensemble—i.e., the material environment, including both its natural and human-made dimensions; second, people-in-place, including individual and group actions, intentions, and meanings; and, third, spirit of place, or genius loci.

Drawing on the conceptual approach of “systematics” developed by the British philosopher J. G. Bennett, I argue that these three dimensions can engage in six different ways, each of which relates to one particular lived mode whereby place contributes to human life. These six modes are: (1) place interaction; (2) place identity; (3) place creation; (4) place intensification; (5) place realization; and (6) place release.

I argue that place identity is important for understanding the nature of place but is complemented by other modes of relationship that together help clarify the complexity and richness of place and place experience.

The impact of festivals on the promotion and communication of a city: A comparative study of Turkish and Swedish Festivals 

by Solmaz Filiz Karabag

Karabağ S.F., Yavuz M.C. and Berggren C. (2009),

Framing Iowa's 'Fragile Giants'

by Blake Mayberry

Article stemming from my master's research at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Published in the Geographical Bulletin, May 2011

The cultural landscape of Iowa has changed significantly in the last thirty years, coincident with larger changes in... more The cultural landscape of Iowa has changed significantly in the last thirty years, coincident with larger changes in the national and global economies. The Loess Hills–a geologic landform consisting of eroded 15,000-year-old deposits of eolian glacial silt spanning seven counties in western Iowa–have become a political and discursive battle ground for postindustrial restructuring. The State of Iowa sought to create a tourism- and recreation-based economy for western Iowa as a response to rural population loss and unemployment. In 1997, the state’s largest newspaper, The Des Moines Register, started an editorial campaign to advocate for a national park in the Loess Hills. While the effort was ultimately unsuccessful, in this analysis I examine the role of the newspaper in promoting federal involvement in the Loess Hills landscape, and their participation in the discursive production of a post-rural landscape that aestheticizes the politics of preservation and development.
Key Words: framing, landscape, Loess Hills, postindustrial, The Des Moines Register.

Les rues commerçantes en contexte pluriethnique : entre le confort et la différence

by Martha Radice

Radice, Martha (2008) 'Les rues commerçantes en contexte pluriethnique : entre le confort et la différence,' p. 235-58 in Xavier Leloup and Martha Radice (eds.) Les nouveaux territoires de l'ethnicité. Québec: Les Presses de l'Université Laval.

GLOBALISATION PAR LE BAS OU PAR LE HAUT?: Les Enjeux De La Rue Commerçante En Quartier Multiethnique à Montréal

by Martha Radice

Radice, Martha (2009) 'Globalisation par le bas ou par le haut? Les enjeux de la rue commerçante en quartier multiethnique à Montréal.' Géographie et Cultures (71): 57-72.

Les rues commerçantes en quartier multiethnique se trouvent au croisement de deux courants de globalisation, culturel... more Les rues commerçantes en quartier multiethnique se trouvent au croisement de deux courants de globalisation, culturel et économique. D’une part, leur offre commerciale et leur milieu social sont formés par une immigration croissante et diversifiée; d’autre part, leurs acteurs sont appelés à promouvoir une image de marque distincte de la rue afin d’attirer les investisseurs et les consommateurs de l’économie postfordiste. Qu’en est-il de la relation entre globalisation culturelle et économique dans les rues commerçantes de quartier multiethnique à Montréal? Nous reprenons la distinction de M. de Certeau pour confronter les stratégies des acteurs institutionnels « planificateurs » aux tactiques des commerçants, des habitants et autres usagers des rues. En puisant dans un travail de terrain ethnographique, nous dégageons des cas de figure de la rue promue, du produit « organique » à la recette magique d’intervention.

Mots-clés : rue commerçante; sens du lieu; marketing des lieux; ville multiethnique; Montréal

Commercial streets in multiethnic neighbourhoods are at the crossroads of two currents of globalization, cultural and economic. On the one hand, their range of shops and services and social milieu are shaped by increasing and diversifying flows of immigration. On the other, key actors are encouraged to promote streets with a distinctive brand image in order to attract the investors and consumers of the post-fordist global economy. How does this relationship between cultural and economic globalization play out in commercial streets in Montréal’s multiethnic neighbourhoods? Following de Certeau, I compare the strategies of institutional actors with the tactics of merchants, residents and other users of the streets. My analysis of material from ethnographic fieldwork generates several cases of street promotion, from organic product to magic recipe for intervention.

Key words: commercial street; sense of place; place marketing; multiethnic city; Montréal

Global competitiveness versus community identity: Can culture be the answer to managing this uneasy balance in towns and cities?

by Andres Coca-Stefaniak

Editorial article published in Journal of Town and City Management (http://www.henrystewart.com/jtcm.aspx)

City management partnerships as shapers of urban strategy and providers of cost-effective solutions to local problems

by Andres Coca-Stefaniak

Editorial article published in Journal of Town and City Management (http://www.henrystewart.com/jtcm.aspx)

Uncomfortable strategic truths: A time to pause, reflect and ponder on the need for meaningful change in our towns and cities?

by Andres Coca-Stefaniak

Editorial article published in Journal of Town and City Management (http://www.henrystewart.com/jtcm.aspx)

Tourism Destination Branding and its Affects on National Branding Strategies: Brand New Zealand, Clean and Green But is it Smart?

by C. Michael Hall

Hall, C.M. 2010, Tourism destination branding and its affects on national branding strategies: Brand New Zealand, clean and green but is it smart? European Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 1(1), 68-89.

The present work analyses how tourism and non-tourism place brands are integrated under an umbrella national brand,... more The present work analyses how tourism and non-tourism place brands are integrated under an umbrella national brand, and how the tourism brand may have little value or even prove negative for other industry sectors. The study examines the development of Brand New Zealand and the subsidiary ‘100% Pure’ tourism and ‘New Zealand, New Thinking’ trade brands. In 2002 New Zealand sought to reposition the national brand so that it was perceived internationally as innovative and creative in order to advantage non-tourism and agricultural enterprises. However, while the ‘clean, green and smart’ proposition had domestic appeal it did not have broad international impact. The research highlights the importance of understanding effects of destination branding in a broader policy and place branding context.

Keywords: Place branding, New Zealand, tourism, innovation

draft only, for the authoritative version please consult the journal website.

Geography, marketing and the selling of places

by C. Michael Hall

Hall, C.M. 1997, Geography, marketing and the selling of places. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 6(3/4): 61-84.

Also published in:
Hall, C.M. 2004, Geography, marketing and the selling of places, pp. 283-304 in Tourism:... more Also published in:
Hall, C.M. 2004, Geography, marketing and the selling of places, pp. 283-304 in Tourism: Critical Concepts in the Social Sciences, vol.1. ed. S. Williams, Routledge, London.

Place and regions have recently been rediscovered as major frameworks of analysis within the social sciences. However, both the gography of tourism and marketing have failed to adequately contextualise the concept of place within current social and cultural theory, including the concepts of production, consumption and postmodernism. The article argues that much of the place marketing literature emerges from an empiricist tradition which commodifies place as a product and fails to critically evaluate the implications of selling places on the people which constitute places. The paper concludes by arguing that contextualisation and the encouragement of argument within the disciplines is critical to their continued relevance to the public sphere.

The material that the paper was based on was first presented at a seminar just prior to leaving the University of Canberra. Please note that the document provided is my first final draft of the manuscript which is about 3,000 words longer than the version published in JTTM.

The final version is available at http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a904051017~db=all~order=page

Imaging, tourism and sports event fever: the Sydney Olympics and the need for a social charter for mega-events

by C. Michael Hall

Hall, C.M. 2001, Imaging, tourism and sports event fever: the Sydney Olympics and the need for a social charter for mega-events, pp.166-83 in Sport in the City: The Role of Sport in Economic and Social Regeneration, eds. C. Gratton & I.P. Henry, Routledge, London.

The paper attached is the one originally prepared for the Sport in the City conference at Sheffield Hallam on which... more The paper attached is the one originally prepared for the Sport in the City conference at Sheffield Hallam on which the book chapter was based.

Its actually interesting seeing this paper in an historical context as post-Beijing the need for such a social contract is arguably greater than even in the Olympic and mega-event context.

Selling places: Hallmark events and the reimaging of Sydney and Toronto

by C. Michael Hall

Hall, C.M. 2005, Selling places: Hallmark events and the reimaging of Sydney and Toronto, pp.129-151 in The Political Economy of Sport, eds. J. Nauright and K. Schimmel, Palgrave Macmillan.

Servicescapes, designscapes, branding and the creation of place-identity: South of Litchfield, Christchurch

by C. Michael Hall

Hall, C.M. 2009, Servicescapes, designscapes, branding and the creation of place-identity: South of Litchfield, Christchurch. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 25(3/4): 233 – 250 < DOI: 10.1080/10548400802508077>.

Place branding lies at the intersection of tourism geography and marketing Contemporary place branding requires the... more Place branding lies at the intersection of tourism geography and marketing Contemporary place branding requires the use of hardware, in the form of servicescapes and designscapes that are developed via architecture, design and heritage; and software, in the form of branding, marketing and promotion. Both hardware and software are studied in the case of the South of Litchfield development project in Christchurch, New Zealand. The study highlights the way that aesthetic and consumptive practices are used to appeal to specific lifestyle groups. At a meta-theoretical level the study indicates that the study of hegemonic cultural processes needs to be extended beyond that of brands to note the way that design ideas, such as ‘new urbanism’, are applied in local contexts. It is concluded that while places use branding and design to differentiate themselves the uncritical adoption of top-down design ideas via real estate and design agents only served to homogenise place and deny authenticity.

KEYWORDS: SCAPES, SERVICESCAPE, DESIGNSCAPE, DESTINATION BRANDING, PLACE, PLACE IDENTITY, PLANNING, REVITALISATION, URBAN REDEVELOPMENT

Santa Claus, place branding and competition

by C. Michael Hall

Hall, C.M. 2008, Santa Claus, place branding and competition. Fennia: International Journal of Geography, 186(1): 59-67.

Santa Claus has been described as the world’s strongest brand. Although Santa Claus has been examined in the context... more Santa Claus has been described as the world’s strongest brand. Although Santa Claus has been examined in the context of product and retail branding the Santa mythology has been little discussed with respect to place branding. The article examines Santa Claus in relation to place branding and competition and provides a number of international examples where Santa is integrated into place branding strategies in order to construct regional advantage, particularly with respect to attracting tourists. Such strategies are regarded as extremely significant for peripheral areas which otherwise do not have the resources available for place branding that urban areas do. The paper concludes by noting potential future issues for Santa related place branding and Christmas tourism including the impact of climate change and issues of authenticity.

draft manuscript provided

Assembling International Competitiveness: The Republic of Georgia, USAID, and the Doing Business Project

by Samuel Schueth

Global indices of economic competitiveness, such as the World Bank‘s Ease of Doing Business index (EDBI), score and... more Global indices of economic competitiveness, such as the World Bank‘s Ease of Doing Business index (EDBI), score and rank states according to the quality of local business regulations. Quantifying and indexing regulatory quality to a singular ranking constructs a ―best practice‖ model, which characterizes regulation in the highest-ranked states. States that outcompete others at transferring regulatory best practices from higher ranked states are rewarded with an improved international reputation for having investor-friendly policies. By helping to attract the interest of foreign investors, the production of raised competiveness rankings serves as an extraterritorial state strategy for gaining from globalization. This paper details the reform strategy used to produce the (post-Soviet) Republic of Georgia‘s 2006-2009 vault up the EDBI rankings. The rankings ascension was the centerpiece of an investment promotion campaign that accompanied strong inflows of foreign direct investment. Making full use of EDBI as a strategic resource for investment promotion involved the composition of an institutional assemblage of the Georgian government, USAID, and the World Bank‘s Doing Business project. Ethnographic research revealed how power geometries emerged among the assembled organizations to enable the transfer of EDBI‘s best practice regulations in some areas, and impede it in others. The case study reveals how limits to policy transfer are created by geographic context, and how EDBI rankings can be exploited to obfuscate problematic business conditions overlooked by its measurement methodology.