Recapturing place identification through community heritage marketing

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how community involvement can support the authors who are guided by the following research questions: how do community residents contribute to heritage marketing strategies that represent their local area? How does community involvement in heritage marketing encourage place identification? How can organisations facilitate community participation in heritage marketing? Design/methodology/approach The authors draw on an ethnographic study of the adopted railway stations in Scotland. They use in-depth interviews and participant observation alongside visual and archival data. Findings The authors present and discuss three themes: community involvement in heritage activities, community heritage marketing and place identification, facilitating community participation through Adopt a Station. Research limitations/implications Initiatives that empower residents should be prioritised to capitalise on their latent knowledge, skills and expertise. The authors suggest that bringing heritage outside the museum space into key places used by local residents will support the increased accessibility of heritage. Originality/value While there are often strong arguments in favour of local community involvement in place marketing, it is much less common to find successful reports of this working in practice. Research either questions the capabilities of local residents to make meaningful contributions or hints at a tokenistic form of involvement. The authors contribute by offering insights into successful heritage-based community activity. Unlike previous research which focuses on the economic impact of place marketing, this paper focuses on place identification for local residents. The authors also observe how offering a sense of ownership and freedom allows community management of the heritage message to flourish.