Reciprocal urban place marketing and co-branding? Retail applications

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of planned shopping centres in the marketing activities of towns and cities. Based on data from a wider programme of research on the marketing of towns and cities as shopping destinations, the paper considers the extent to which planned shopping centres located in traditional urban retail areas engage in the practice of ‘co-branding’ with the towns/cities within which they are located. Data from qualitative interviews with shopping centre managers, a survey of managers of planned shopping centres in the 173 top urban retail destinations in the UK (Management Horizons Europe, 1998) and analysis of logos and slogans of these shopping centres indicate that some degree of reciprocity does occur in the marketing activities between the different levels of urban place marketing as identified by van den Berg and Braun (1999). Various directions for further research are identified.