A (tentative) meta-analysis of the ‘place marketing’ and ‘place branding’ literature

Abstract

Communities, cities, states, nations and regions have progressively applied more marketing and branding concepts and tools to boost exports and attract investors, businesses, visitors, residents, events and other important sources of revenue. These ubiquitous marketing efforts suggest that geographic locations have been managed as resolutely as products and brands. Furthermore, a rising number of practitioners and scholars have written about ‘place marketing’ and ‘place branding’. In the face of increasing interest in this area of study, the initial objective of this investigation was to develop a meticulous meta-analysis of nearly two decades of research on ‘place marketing’ and ‘place branding’. However, the multiplicity of subject matters covered in the literature, combined with the relentless use of case studies and other qualitative methods, hindered the use of the appropriate meta-analysis statistical tools. After a meticulous analysis of 211 articles (out of 259 articles identified), produced by 280 authors and published by 43 periodicals over a two-decade period, this article suggests ways to move the field from a descriptive to a normative stage of building theoretical knowledge.