Date: 15 August 2008
Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Venue: Benpress Caseroom, Asian Institute of Management, Makati City
City Marketing: Global Trends and New Approaches for Global Positioning
As an outcome to economic globalization and the growing internalization of the markets, numerous relationships are developing that encourage a multiplicity and mixing of identities. Cities, as the places or centers where these numerous flows of exchanges converge, gradually form an identity for themselves as a function of how these interconnections take shape within them. In this way, the concept of cities gains prominence.
There are some cities that have clear identities relating to certain more or less unusual features that give them a distinctive character and thus make them well known. Others, in contrast, especially large cities that constitute centers of power or set world standards, become famous as an outcome of multiple facets. Cities like Berlin in Germany, known for the great philharmonic orchestras, Barcelona in Spain for its theatre, Hollywood in Los Angeles for its cinema, Cambridge in Massachusetts for its universities, and Washington D.C. that host international institutions, etc.
These attributes or potentials can be capitalized on by cities, taking full advantage of them. In this sense, there are parallels in the approaches of strategic management and marketing in the world of business. These qualities would be equivalent to the concept introduced by M. Porter, competitive advantage, and a capacity that if developed by an enterprise would allow it to achieve better results than competing businesses. In the same way, when a city is able to capitalize on its resources and potentials, or is remodeled and promoted – as, for instance, Barcelona, Beijing, Seoul, and Sydney were through their organization of the Olympics – then it achieves international fame that facilities attracting investments and visitors.
The profile of the city can be influenced greatly by major public works. These include a new airport, as in Hong Kong, or extensions to an existing airport, like Barajas in Madrid; ports as in Yokohama; new museums like the Guggenheim in Bilbao; facilities for artistic activities like the Sydney Opera House; skyscrapers like Taipei 101, Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia; and a lot more.
Strategic Management in the running and management of cities will allow the steering of urban strategies and policies and the guiding of marketing strategies. The adoption of principles from economics, business and marketing in a city context may be set in a wider framework that draws the conceptual contributions from a range of disciplines: town planning and architecture, sociology, economics and business, among others. However, before defining and developing strategic management and marketing in an urban context, investigating what the city is, that is the identity, its objective positioning, by means of set urban indicators are prerequisites of cities global positioning. From these steps it would be possible to define what is desired for the city, its corporate philosophy and the strategic principles on which to construct it.
Marketing as a management philosophy can aid in creating awareness and setting the orientation along the needs of citizens, tourists, and investment sources. In can develop and design the proper responses, adapted to the needs of these groups and ensure adequate promotion and communication.
City Marketing: Global Trends and New Approaches to International Positioning
Identity and Marketing of Cities, from Infrastructures to Values (.pdf)
Dr. Norberto Muñiz Martinez
City Marketing Expert, Unibersidad de Leon, España