Concept Marketing for Communities

Exceptional communities possessing a definitive sense of place the cities and towns presented in this book have created or re-created a style ambience or character that transcends the ordinary and is used as the basis for community economic development. Adapting the idea of concept marketing these communities have found a niche or specialty to create community recognition and serve as a basis for garnering external investment tourism and other revenue-generating events. This book examines the use of popular and corporate culture retail establishments historical tradition and surrealism in community concept marketing and profiles examples of communities from a diverse array of contexts and geographical settings.Bellows Falls VT for instance a once-depressed former milltown has transformed itself to a vibrant community through an arts integrated development strategy while Austin MN the home of Hormel Foods has drawn on the town''s corporate culture with the opening of a new SPAM Museum. Manchester VT taking a retail approach has become a designer outlet mecca and Walnut IA the state''s Antique City. Cape May NJ has restored its historic properties and successfully marketed itself as a seaside resort while Holland MI exemplifies the surreal approach marketing itself as a Dutch town. Considering these and other uniquely marketed communities this book examines the elements necessary for a successful concept marketing strategy to community economic development.