Marketing the investment potential of the city. Case of Lublin, Poland

Abstract

Сьогодні в усьому світі міста конкурують, щоб залучити інвесторів. Ці заходи є об’єктом міського маркетингу та, особливо, інвестиційного маркетингу. Існує необхід- ність підвести підсумки інвестиційної маркетингової діяльності міста в перспективі теорії міського маркетингу. Маркетингова діяльність Любліна є прикладом ефектив- ного і добре спланованого інвестиційного маркетингу. Він оснований на стратегії розвитку, корпоративної ідентичності і поєднує в собі оффлайн- і онлайн-маркетингові інструменти.

Currently, cities compete globally to attract investors. These activities are the object of city marketing and precisely investment marketing. There is a need to summarise the investment marketing activities of the city in term of city marketing theory. The city of Lublin is an adequate case. Lublin’s marketing activities are the example of efficient and well-planned investment marketing. It is based on development strategy, corporate identity, and combines offline and online marketing tools. In the global market economy, the most of business ventures can be implemented anywhere in the world. Global companies look for the perfect investment location, choosing among many profitable offers. Hence, cities compete globally for investment. They use sophisticated marketing techniques in their administration practice to acquire new investors. This approach is certainly interesting concerning the marketing classification of these activities amongst the types of marketing. Marketing the investment potential of the city is classified as a part of the type of marketing, which object is a place, a territory. This is one of the main types of marketing. The reason for the problems with the terminology of city marketing is the complexity of city product and the characteristics of city marketing’s subjects. The city as a whole has its own unique identity, the image as a reflection of its profile and it should have a brand, which can be a strategic help to capitalise on the positive image. One of the foundation concepts of marketing is that the company uses the set of marketing tools called ‘marketing-mix’ – product, price, place, promotion – to achieve its objectives in the market. It could be directly transferred into city marketing, but due to multifaceted city product (megaproduct), it is ineffective. For years, many concepts on how to define ‘marketing-mix’ for city marketing were created. Szromnik tried to connect all the concepts and phrased four main elements of territorial ‘marketing-mix’: territorial offer, which includes permanent and changeable place attributes; conditions to acquaint stakeholders with the offer, ways and circumstances of territorial product delivery, and forms, techniques, and means of communication of the place with its environment. It clearly shows that in city marketing and its subtypes, the most important traditional marketing tools are product – which, as megaproduct, includes price and place – and promotion. The data analysis proves that the system works as designed and expected. The website is spreading fast around the world. In five months until February 15, 2017, it reached users from 63 countries – the most from Poland, USA, United Kingdom, Austria, and Canada. On the LinkedIn page of Invest in Lublin, 71,7 % of followers are managers, senior managers, or executives, as well as 85,9 % of visitors (February 25, 2017). Lublin’s investment marketing strategy is efficient and internationally awarded. According to only to the latest ranks and awards of fDi Intelligence, a division of the Financial Times specializing in all areas relating to foreign direct investment around the world, Lublin was granted: 3rd best FDI Strategy among small European cities, Strategy engagement Bespoke Award, and 3rd best FDI Strategy in Poland.