Places as products, residents as users

What is it about?

Places are not only locations and societies, but also useful ‘things’. They produce living conditions for people who inhabit them. Since different people live different lives, places diverge from one another in terms of living conditions that they produce. This paper classifies places as products. Although all described places are nominal, i.e. not obligatory exist in reality, any specific place can be recognized within one or more obtained abstract types. Similarly, every person can see which nominal living conditions are the most suitable for him or her. Thereby, a fundamental question of place marketing is responded For whom and How different places are attractive?

Featured Image

Why is it important?

To market places successfully, one should know exactly who their users are and what they want from a particular place One of the crucial aspects here is to classify place users into groups with similar needs, choose one of them as a target and then attract it by offering the desired product. The presented typologies of places as market entities per se cannot replace decision-makers when choosing targets and target groups for a specific place. However, they can help marketers to segment place market precisely, identifying distinct user segments in terms of the required product features. In this way, it becomes possible to pave the way from the existing position of the place on the market to the desired one, i.e. to develop the lucid place marketing strategy. Theoretical model underlying the methodology gives an opportunity to standardize analysis and planning in place marketing and, thereby, facilitates marketing activities of local practitioners.

Perspectives