Analysis of territories marketing activities among small and medium business: a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

The article summarizes the arguments and counterarguments in the scientific discussion on place marketing. The study's main purpose is to understand the nature and features of existing research on marketing areas to determine the direction of future research for both scientists and practitioners. Systematization of literature sources and approaches to solving the problem of marketing areas suggests that many studies in this area require a synthesis of existing research. The urgency of solving this scientific problem is that although the use of marketing in public administration has intensified in recent years, there are many problems in this area. The research of place marketing was carried out in the following logical sequence: determination of the impact of the authors, journals, and articles on territorial marketing, keyword analysis, identification of marketing clusters, visualization of scientific literature on place marketing. The study covers 1970-2021. The research object is 1611 relevant publications published in various scientific sources. The most influential journals were found to be the Journal of Business Research, Tourism Management and Marketing Theory. The most cited authors were Kavaratzis M. and Warnaby G. Most of the articles have been published by researchers from the USA, England, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, and France. Eight key clusters were identified in the marketing of territories: politics, tourism, model, identity, place branding, residents, framework, city brand. In the last five years, most research has been devoted to placing brands, destination marketing, geographies, politics, culture, place branding, identity, tourism, involvement, governance, impact, smart city, loyalty, community. Areas of future research could include destination brand, technology, regeneration, legitimacy, experiences, word-of-mouth, attitude, reflections, memory, inequity of cities, inclusive place branding, brand equity, place attachment, place identity, and others. It is also recommended to focus on city-twinning, sister city, municipal cooperation. The study results could be helpful for companies involved in developing the brand of territories, local authorities for the development of place marketing, and scientists researching place marketing.