ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies place as a various set of geographical units that are conceptualized by marketing scholars as spatially extended offerings. It aims to explore place as a specific focus of the marketing literature. The chapter explains a historical account of place marketing's development, incorporating an overview of the place marketing 'conventional wisdom' that emphasizes its prevalent prescriptive and normative character. It proceeds to offer a reconstruction of the critical voices through an account of their main arguments. The chapter proposes an agenda for future research that takes stock of the most recent and promising approaches to envision more inclusive forms of place marketing. It intends to consolidate the critique of place marketing and establish it within the marketing theory area by articulating it with clarity, and to formulate a research agenda that encourages scholars to pursue place marketing research in a way that is more respectful of the needs of less powerful social actors.
