Town and gown: the value of the city to the university

Emma Jane Winter, Helen Thompson-Whiteside

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

    Abstract

    Since medieval times, universities and their host cities have enjoyed a close relationship. The social, economic and even intellectual capital benefits that the university can bestow upon the city have been written about for many years and are not in question. However there has been surprisingly little written about the relationship from the university’s point of view – what benefits does the city bring to the university?

    With this in mind, this paper aims to explore how location impacts upon the shaping of the university brand and the relative importance and influence of location as a brand attribute. This is achieved through a detailed study of five UK universities encompassing in-depth interviews with Marketing Directors alongside thematic analysis of key push communications.

    This study provides benefits for both academics and practitioners. It seeks to enhance current literature and contribute to several specific but potentially overlapping research areas by providing a valuable insight into the close relationship between city and university from the university’s point of view. In addition, the paper offers practical suggestions to university marketing departments for how location may be best used to their advantage.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationAcademy of Marketing 2014 conference proceedings
    Publication statusPublished - Jul 2014
    EventAcademy of Marketing Conference - Bournmouth, United Kingdom
    Duration: 7 Jul 201414 Jul 2014

    Conference

    ConferenceAcademy of Marketing Conference
    Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
    Period7/07/1414/07/14

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