Place Marketing in The Policy Makers' Perspective: Testing A Holistic Model To Unfold The State Of The Art

In the last two decades, the multiplicity of perspectives adopted in the analysis of place marketing has led to a fragmented body of literature that presents gaps both in content and methodology. Therefore, acknowledging the recommendations of recent studies, our purpose consists in defining a holistic model of place marketing management, which gives more complete and useful suggestions for practitioners, and in testing it with an empirical research carried out through the submission of a questionnaire to Italian municipalities. Drawing on a cross-disciplinary literature review, we propose a model that recognises the existence of three different levels of analysis: 1) the place as a platform of resources; 2) the place identity, a bundle of different ‘vocations’; 3) the products of the place. With reference to three levels, our model highlights the need for different strategic management processes (resource-centered versus market-driven) and suggests a number of implications for place marketing.