Deleuzoguattarian place marketing: becoming, between, beneath and beyond

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the work of Deleuze and Guattari can help place marketers to think differently about places and place brands. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper that draws together a range of resources to develop a Deleuzoguattarian approach to place marketing. Findings Deleuzoguattarian thinking helps place marketers to reconceptualise places as “becomings”, which in turn encourages them to look between, beneath and beyond their usual foci. The Deleuzoguattarian spirit of critical-creativity is also noted, encouraging readers to develop the ideas presented here in new directions. Research limitations/implications This paper expands the epistemological imagination of place marketing scholars to consider the places between their place brands, the subconscious influences beneath the surface of salience and phenomena beyond the anthroposcale of everyday experience. This enriches existing conceptualisations and extends place marketing with several new areas of enquiry that can be empirically elaborated through future research. Practical implications This paper helps place marketing practitioners to consider and respond to the flows of matter–energy that influence their place brands between, beneath and beyond their intentional management practices. Social implications This paper develops critical schools of thought within the place marketing literature, providing some suggestions about how to develop and manage more inclusive place brands. This may also have implications for activists and others seeking societal improvements. Originality/value This paper develops a Deleuzoguattarian approach to place marketing, stimulating new lines of inquiry and experimental practices.