Place Marketing and Branding

The book builds a framework and analyzes place marketing and branding practices, the main focus being on marketing management of places. This book is based on Rainisto''s doctoral dissertation study at Helsinki University of Technology: ''Success Factors of Place Marketing'' (2003). The study uses a theory building, qualitative case research agenda, with an embedded, longitudinal and multiple case design. The study applies the formed theoretical framework in an empirical research with the case locations of the Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Chicago metropolitan regions. The study investigates also how Northern European versus U.S. place marketers differ in their practices and comes to the conclusion that both regions can benefit from a study of each others’ practices. Strategic marketing can be also applied to places, and the tools of corporate marketing can be transferred to place marketing. Places can be branded, through creating and communicating a unique and competitive place identity, which can increase a place’s attraction greatly towards investors, companies, tourism or business visitors, talented workforce or new residents.