ABSTRACT
Space is normally taken for granted, treated as the static physical container where marketing and consumption activities take place. Marketing management approaches most often treat space as a logistical challenge, covered by the typical distribution concerns incorporated into the ‘p’ of place in the marketing mix. Hence, when the importance of space and place is acknowledged, the focus tends to be limited to store atmospherics and servicescape design. With an emphasis on sensory stimulation and store layout, such perspectives usually adopt information-processing models to look at stimuli input and their resultant consumer outputs in terms of emotional and behavioural responses. Importantly, however, the cultural significance of space and place tend to be overlooked by these models. Disciplines across the social sciences and humanities recognise that space and place are not static entities, but are instead dynamic and constantly evolving. Spaces become ‘places’ when they hold meanings for the people who use or inhabit them.
