Using Information Communication Technology to Decentralize City Marketing

This chapter introduces the reader to the idea of city marketing. This idea has developed over time, globally, as cities continue to grow rapidly. The chapter assesses how city marketing as a concept and a practice has generally developed with particular reference to Botswana, Southern Africa. Using evidence from documented material this chapter critically reviews city marketing as perceived and applied by planners and policy makers. The chapter looks at how Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be used to market cities such as Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana. Literature and experiences from other parts of the world are used to underscore city growth as a serious development issue. City dwellers are identified as key stakeholders in city marketing because they have a more permanent association with the city in contrast to those who come into the city to visit or for business, tourism, and other purposes.

Marketing the mCity

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) cannot only be used practically in marketing efforts, but also as symbols, due to the images and associations they provoke of for example modernity and speed. The marketing of a city through the use of ICT-images however, also involve risks, as ICTs among certain people also bring about negative associations. Therefore, marketers need to be aware of what happens with the marketing material after it has been developed and sent out. The main argument of this chapter is that sense making emerges through a dialogic process. By analyzing semiotically a marketing leaflet for the Stockholm-based ICT-project mCity, and two ads for Nokia phones that appeared in Europe at about the same time as mCity, this chapter challenges the traditional cybernetic sender-receiver model of communication, and proposes that when the sender has sent the message, the message becomes a speaker on its own, interacting with the listener through a dialogic process set in the mind of the lis ener. When understanding this, marketers should benchmark the use of ICTs in other contemporary media in order to ensure the success aimed for with the city marketing material using ICT-imager.

Identity and Marketing of Cities

Cities are acquiring a key geopolitical importance in the shaping of world-wide flows and exchanges, playing a key part in modern socio-economic relations within the framework of the world order termed globalization. Urban areas are the nodes where networks of various types of interchange come together: economic, social, cultural, communications and interpersonal. While having a leading role in these major relations of world-wide exchanges, cities in addition shape their own interchanges between what they can offer and the demands from the various groups within them. These are principally their citizens, but also investors, tourists, and administrative and civil institutions. Strategic marketing and management approaches have been implemented into the field of countries, regions, and especially cities, which are adopting these approaches to sell what they have to offer; to better manage and compete more effectively. Marketing provides a conceptual framework, and tools for managing these exchange relationshipsbetween what cities supply and demand. This chapter explores these issues, and examines the evolution of city marketing, from emphasizing infrastructures and urban regeneration towards stressing intangible values, such as multicultural integration, urban quality of life, appreciating aesthetics, the design and beauty of a city, a marketing of cities by means of intangible and emotional elements.

Walled City to Wireless City

This chapter outlines the journey that the city of Londonderry (Derry), Northern Ireland, undertook when converting a traditional walled city to a technology-enhanced wireless city. The chapter presents an overview of the three project strands, namely wireless city (civic aspect), wireless walls (tourism aspect), and wireless campus (educational aspect), along with the contribution made by each partner organization. A detailed case study of the educational element is presented, employing a dual qualitative/ quantitative research approach. The case study focuses on the experience of one academic member of staff in using the wireless initiative via Tablet PC and SMART classroom. Quantitative analysis to gain insight into usability of wireless networking services and wireless technologies is presented from both a staff and student viewpoint and finally conclusions are drawn on the overall project experience. The project successfully, completed in December 2006, has received a number of awards for its innovative approach.

Strategic Management in City Government

Integrating information communication technologies (ICTs) and marketing in strategic management of city government is critical to achieving stakeholder satisfaction and economic development. As a result of the rapid growth in computer networks and access to online services, the use of ICTs, for example, Internet and Intranet, as a communication and marketing platform can provide a city with a global advantage. City marketing focuses on promoting the attributes of a location to prospective stakeholders so that these individuals, businesses, and investors are attracted to visit, locate, or invest in the city. A causal model is presented where ICT is used to not only to deliver services to internal stakeholders, but also to market a city to external stakeholders. To be successful, managers need to be skilled in current technologies and marketing practices. Case study applications are discussed as well as the questions to address in future research to most effectively integrate ICTs and marketing in city management.

A Strategic Framework for City Marketing

City marketing in the broadest term can be defined as the strategic design of the city to satisfy the various stakeholders of the city who often have conflicting goals. This frequently requires an integrated approach that aligns and addresses the expectation of various stakeholders to create vibrant communities. The current trend in globalization, formation of regional trade blocks, and the shift in importance of location factors have increased the intensity of competition among regions and cities. More than ever, cities need to compete and cooperate with each other to attract companies, investments, talent, tourists, and create markets for their products and services. This entails that cities embrace strategic marketing management tools and practices, and utilize e-services such as electronic customer relationship management. The authors propose a broad approach, called strategic stakeholder relationship management (SSRM), which is enabled by information and communication technologies, including Internet, to help the decision makers succeed in designing the 21st Century city marketing initiatives.

The Use of Internet in Building the Brand of "Stockholm

This chapter discusses a current example of the ongoing efforts of city managers to promote their cities, also known as place marketing or place selling. After introducing the concept of city branding, and a model of how Web site elements communicate brand values and messages, we analyze a recent attempt of city managers in Stockholm to promote the brand of “Stockholm: The Capital of Scandinavia”. The authors hope that the empirical illustrations of how city managers of Stockholm have worked to provide a broader understanding to the complex Web of communication and brand building on the Internet, both empirically and conceptually.

Strategic Technology Planning for the Techno-Global Economy

Indications are strong that globalization is an irresistible force, fomented by, or at the very least, enabled by technology. This chapter refers to the technology driven aspects of globalization as “techno-globalization” and describes the role of strategic technology planning in the marketing of cities in this global economy. It describes strategic technology planning for information and communication technologies and its intersection with marketing planning. It is intended to guide managers through the technology planning aspects of ICTs and city marketing. In addition to providing practical guidelines for preparing a technology plan that supports the organization’s strategic and marketing objectives, the chapter explains many of the nuances of the preparation and alignment of organizational strategic plans using current information systems and organizational theory concepts.

Developing Patterns for Thinking About City Marketing Initiatives

This chapter defines three different patterns to understand how city marketing initiatives are designed and implementing, and how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can support the implementation of such patterns. The word pattern is used to characterize particular ways of thinking which embed values and beliefs about city marketing. The first pattern (idealist) assumes that a visionary type of image of cities can be developed to attract people to cities. The second pattern (strategic) emphasizes dialogue and participation in shaping up marketing initiatives by considering the underlying beliefs and values of people and how these can be “branded”. The third pattern (power-based) aims to be inclusive of intended and unintended effects of marketing so as to develop initiatives for the people and by the people. In the chapter, the role(s) of ICTs are discussed. Experience of using these patterns to understand the situation of two cities (Hull,UK, and Brest, France) leads us to suggest the intertwining of these patterns, and hence the importance of people’s engagement to facilitate better use of ICTs in the context of city marketing initiatives.

Official Tourism Web Sites and City Marketing

Large cities are one of the most popular tourism destinations throughout the world. Business and leisure tourists visit these areas every year and before they travel there, they look for useful information on the Internet. This chapter analyses the tourism Web sites developed by Convention and Visitor Bureaus. These Web sites represent the official image of the city on the Internet and trough them tourism organizations can organize the marketing and mix strategy. The chapter studies the concept of a city as a tourism destination, the organizations that manage tourist activities, and the right marketing strategies to be developed on these official Web sites. The strategy begins with the market research to select the right marketing segments and it continues with the right actions from a marketing mix perspective. It means different options in terms of product-destination exhibition, price policies, commercialization, and communication actions.