Marketing Places: Attracting Investment, Industry, and Tourism to Cities, States, and Nations - Softcover

Ashoka Mody Senior Economist, World Bank Full of interesting ideas and case-studies. Calls into question the futility of incentive wars and the need to focus on more fundamental locational features (infrastructures, education) for attracting business. Raymond D. Horton Columbia University ...Excellent book...fills an important void in the literature on economic development and the application of marketing to cities. Robert M. Ady President, PHH Fantus Provides hundreds of new ideas for effectively marketing our cities, states, and nations. It is must reading for every private and public official involved in economic development. Stan Rapp Coauthor, "Great Marketing Turnaround" Every forward-looking Mayor, Governor and civic leader in America must read this book. George S. Day Director, Huntsman Center for Global Competition and Innovation, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Each of us has a stake in the effective application of the ideas in this innovative book. The authors give valuable guidance in how to advantageously position places in increasingly demanding and competitive markets. Richard P. Nathan Director, The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government This book takes exactly the right point of view -- from the ground up -- in exploring the ways local leaders can make a big difference in creating jobs and stimulating economic growth. Al Ries Chairman, Trout & Ries Marketing Strategists This book not only forecasts the future, but also serves as a blueprint for those places that want to have a profitable future. It's well-written, well-documented and a must read for the place marketing manager.

Today's headlines report cities going bankrupt, states running large deficits, and nations stuck in high debt and stagnation. Philip Kotler argues that thousands of "places" - cities, states, and nations - are in crisis, and can no longer rely on national industrial policies, such as federal matching funds, as a promise of jobs and protection. The authors show that places must, like any market-driven business, become attractive "products" by improving their industrial base and communicating their special qualities more effectively to their target markets. From studies of cities and nations throughout the world, Kotler offer a systematic analysis of why so many places have fallen on hard times, and make recommendations on what can be done to revitalize a place's economy. He shows how "place wars" - battles for Japanese factories, government projects, Olympic Games, baseball team franchises, convention business, and other economic prizes - are often misguided and end in wasted money and effort.The hidden key to vigorous economic development, the author argues, is strategic marketing of places by rebuilding infrastructure, creating a skilled labour force, stimulating local business entrepreneurship and expansion, developing strong public/private partnerships, identifying and attracting "place compatible" companies and industries, creating distinctive local attractions, building a service-friendly culture, and promoting these advantages effectively. Strategic marketing of places requires a deep understanding of how "place buyers" - tourists, new residents, factories, corporate headquarters, investors - make their place decisions. With this understanding, "place sellers" - economic development agencies, tourist promotion agencies, mayor's offices - can take the necessary steps to compete aggressively for place buyers.