Merseywise > Higher Education > Place Marketing & Image > Place Promotion

Place Promotion

Place promotion consists of marketing communications aimed at improving the image and awareness of a locality amongst potential visitors, investors and residents. According to Gunn (1972:69), tourists hold different types of image relating to the stages of consumer decision-making, including everyday life (organic image), searching for information about the destination (projected image), and the first-hand experience of the visit (modified-induced image). See Selby (2004) for a more detailed discussion of place image in the context of urban tourism.

Although research, exemplified by Merseyside's image tracking is the first stage in place promotion, TMP has developed an innovative place promotion strategy. The TMP business plan 2002-2004 provides an overview of the place marketing strategy.

A particularly innovative part of the strategy has been to target key opinion-formers and decision-makers with 11 key positive facts about Merseyside, termed the 'Facts Campaign' (see 'Make it Merseyside' press release - available to download).

These key positive facts challenge the stereotypes about Liverpool and Merseyside, drawing upon some surprising strengths of the locality, such as:

• Merseyside is one of the safest city regions in the UK
• Merseyside has more museums, theatres and galleries than anywhere in the UK outside London.
• Merseyside has more listed buildings than anywhere in the UK outside London.

The adverts (see downloads) have been carefully targeted at opinion-formers and investment decision-makers. Specific rail and tube stations in London have often been used for the advertising.

However, there is much more to contemporary place marketing than just advertising. The integrated 'Make it Merseyside' campaign aimed to build brand awareness through the full communications mix. Research, market testing, and the use of advertising and public relations agencies enabled investment brokers, senior decision-makers and opinion-formers to be targeted. The media relations programme generates positive media coverage about Merseyside; see The Times, The Guardian, and The Observer.

The Mersey Champions is another innovative project, aiming to harness the pride of local people in the region, and boost confidence in the region's economic prospects. The several thousand members receive news, information, and special offers through an on-line newsletter. It is hoped that Mersey Champions will act as ambassadors for the region, spreading positive facts though word of mouth.

For information about economic development and investment activity, see the Economic Development and Urban Regeneration Section. For a summary of promotion activities see events update. For the 'key targets' see table 2 in the business plan (available to download). To judge the success of the strategy, see the TMP Annual Report, the image tracking report, and 'Reflecting Merseyside' (all available to download).