Process, content and context considerations influencing the marketing of urban areas as shopping destinations

Warnaby, Gary (2000) Process, content and context considerations influencing the marketing of urban areas as shopping destinations. In: Manchester Metropolitan University Business School Working Papers. Working Paper. Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

This paper reports the results of a series of semi-structured interviews held in two English cities with stakeholders who hold potential responsibility for the marketing of the city as a shopping destination. The findings of the research are structured in terms of the process by which place marketing activity is developed (relating to the remits of individual actors, the extent and nature of their interaction and the process of planning place marketing activity), the content of place marketing activity (relating to the extent to which marketing activity is consumer-focused, the nature of the elements of the urban place product and their interaction, and the specific marketing activities undertaken), and context factors influencing place marketing activity in the specific locations (following de Wit and Meyer's (1998) framework). Analysis of the data from the interviews reveal numerous actors with potential responsibility for the marketing of the urban areas, who engage in frequent formal and informal interaction in order to achieve their specific remits. Regarding content of place marketing activity, the marketing of the town as a shopping destination is largely the remit of the town centre manager, although the importance of retailing is articulated by other actors. Various important contextual factors specific to retailing which impact on place marketing activity are identified. These include the level of shop rentals, supply of retail premises, car parking availability and tariffs, and the presence of off-centre retail facilities.