Kramfors och kampen om livskvaliteten - En diskursanalytisk studie av kommunens marknadsföring
DiscoursePlace marketingKramforsIdentityNew institutionalismPolitical and administrative sciencesStatsvetenskapFörvaltningskunskapLaw and Political Science
In the era of urbanization and globalization, many small, rural and post-industrialcities struggle for growth. The competition for citizens and visitors is intense, andone commonly used strategy is to promote the city to a target audience. Placemarketing, however, is homogenized to a great extent. Marketing thus seems likea useless approach, yet almost every city does it.By using discourse analysis and institutional theory, this essay aims to explainwhy the city of Kramfors markets itself. There are several problems arising due tothe marketing of places, especially concerning the discrepancy between the city?simage and identity. The study is primarily based on interviews with politiciansand public servants in Kramfors. The purpose is twofold: to find out howdecisions to use place marketing are motivated, and to explore how ideas andpractices about place marketing travel to and from organizations, such as amunicipality. Furthermore, the study contains an examination of marketingmaterial from Kramfors and 21 other Swedish municipalities. The promotedimages show a far-reaching similarity. Based on the results from the interviews,politicians and public servants seem to feel they have no alternative but topromote their city.