TERRITORIAL MARKETING

1. Knowledge and understanding

Students will acquire specific knowledge in the field of marketing applied to the territory, with particular regard to the development and promotion strategies of the territorial offer. This knowledge will help to develop their ability to analyze the factors that affect the competitiveness of territorial systems and to understand the logic that guide, at various levels, the choices of both policy makers and companies that decide to locate themselves in a specific area. In particular, attention will be focused on activities aimed at enhancing and promoting local resources (such as natural, cultural, infrastructural ones) and seeking the competitiveness of the territory, with regard to attracting both tourist flows and business investments. The teaching activity is therefore aimed at disseminating knowledge about the main conceptual categories at the basis of territorial marketing and the related policies aimed at supporting the territorial vocation and the promotion of the local offer with respect to potential market segments.

2. Applying knowledge and understanding

Students will be able to critically evaluate the issues connected to the creation and development of a local system, as well as to identify and evaluate the mechanisms and marketing choices that are instrumental in supporting territorial competitiveness over time. In particular, students will be able to handle the conceptual tools for strategic marketing analysis and will be able to manage issues and operational choices of territorial marketing. They will also acquire the methodological knowledge necessary to develop and implement territorial-tourism marketing plans. These skills can be exploited in different work contexts, whether students find employment within public administrations, whether they operate within companies (in the tourism and non-tourism sectors), or whether they offer their expertise through a consultancy activity in support of public and private organizations.

3. Making judgements

Students will be able to critically address the issues involved in the evaluation and formulation of marketing strategies of territorial systems and to reflect independently on the role of the strategic choices made in order to increase and defend over time the attractiveness of a territory with respect to its various target audiences. Furthermore, students will be asked to compare and evaluate, on the basis of previously acquired and processed information, various strategic options and territorial marketing tools. The individual and group activities that students are asked to carry out, in line with the topics addressed during the lessons, help to stimulate the students' ability to formulate analyzes and judgments in a critical and autonomous way.

4. Communication skills

Students will be able to use, in a rigorous way, a technical language and to critically discuss the analytical and strategic aspects of territorial marketing. This ability is also stimulated by the constant interaction that takes place in the classroom between teacher and students, through an open and constructive debate on the issues addressed. Communication skills are also stimulated by other activities carried out during the course, such as classroom discussion of case studies and presentations of project works developed individually or in small groups by students.

5. Learning skills

At the end of the cycle of lessons, students will have learned theoretical knowledge and acquired understanding and evaluation skills that will allow them to autonomously update and increase their territorial marketing skills. They will also have acquired the ability to critically deal with the reading and understanding of both scientific articles and strategic and marketing plans on the subject of territorial development and promotion. This learning ability is stimulated, during the lessons, by a participatory style that actively involves students also through the presentation and discussion of case studies as well as through the realization, individually or in small groups, of in-depth studies on specific themes or territorial marketing projects.

The course is mainly organized through lectures, and it provides for an active participation of the students and a constant interaction between the students and the teacher. The topics included in the program are addressed not only through traditional lectures, but also through some testimonies provided in the classroom by professionals and other actors operating in the area as consultants or within public institutions or companies. In-depth activities are also carried out through the analysis and discussion of case studies in the classroom, as well as through individual insights on specific topics and group work.

Should teaching be carried out in mixed mode or remotely, it may be necessary to introduce changes with respect to previous statements, in line with the programme planned and outlined in the syllabus. Learning assessment may also be carried out on line, should the conditions require it.

Although there is no formal pre-requisite, the knowledge of the basic contents of the Marketing discipline is considered useful.

The Territorial Marketing course addresses the main conceptual categories in the area of ​​marketing applied to territorial development, enhancement and promotion, according to competitiveness and sustainability criteria. The teaching  aims to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to address, at a strategic and operational level, the issues related to the management and coordinated promotion of territorial systems with different vocations and prevailing activities , as well as the design of marketing plans to develop the attractiveness of the territories with respect to the different market segments. A particular focus is made on the marketing strategies of tourist destinations. The first part of the course deals with the strategic analysis of territorial marketing, examining in particular: the territory as a competitive system; the conditions and factors that affect the competitiveness of a territory; the degree of attractiveness of a territory for firms; the main players in territorial marketing; the analysis of territorial demand and supply. Then, strategic planning and the formulation of a territorial marketing strategy are analyzed, focusing in particular on: the logic and processes of planning of territorial development; the role of the various actors involved in the management of territorial systems and in the planning and implementation of territorial marketing initiatives; investment attraction policies; destination management and governance; destination marketing activities. Finally, the strategies to enhance and promote the territorial offer are explored, analysing the tools for communication and promotion of territories, as well as experiences and application contexts of territorial marketing. In particular, attention is focused on some crucial aspects of cultural resources enhancement activities, strategic and operational aspects related to the organization of major events and destination branding.

1. Caroli M. (2011), Il marketing territoriale. Strategie per la competitività sostenibile del territorio, Franco Angeli, Milano, chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7.

2. Martini U. (Ed.) (2017), Management e marketing delle destinazioni turistiche territoriali, McGrawHill, Milano, chapters: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8.

3. Supplementary didactic material used during the course (slides, case studies and other readings).

All the supplementary teaching material (slides, case study and other material), which is an integral part of the course program,  will be available to students on Studium as well as at the library of the Department of Economics and Business. 

In the ordinary exam sessions, the exam takes place through a written test, consisting of a short paper on one of the topics of the program, and a subsequent oral interview, which is accessed by students who have sufficiently completed the first test. The final evaluation expressed in thirtieths will be carried out on the basis of the following criteria: knowledge of the topics of the program, appropriateness of the technical language, relevance of the answers with respect to the questions formulated, ability to connect between the topic discussed and other issues related to the program, logical ability to argue the assigned theme, ability to contextualize the theme with practical examples.

For students who have assiduously and actively attended the course, the final assessment of learning will be carried out by evaluating the group project work that students are called to carry out during the course, the active participation in the classwork proposed by the teacher,   and the result of a final individual written test, based on the program and consisting of multiple choice and / or open questions. To pass the exam it is necessary to obtain a sufficient evaluation both in the project work and in the written test. 

The verification of learning can also be carried out electronically, if the health conditions require it.