SMART CITY MARKETING: CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION NECESSITY

Abstract

The article is devoted to substantiating the theoretical and methodological foundations of Smart City marketing as a modern management concept. The relevance of the study is due to the processes of global urbanization, digital transformation of the economy, and increasing competition between cities for investment, human, and innovative resources. It is emphasized that traditional approaches to territorial development management require rethinking in the context of the formation of digital ecosystems and the transition to the Smart City concept. Modern scientific approaches to Smart City research are analyzed, among which technological, territorial-marketing, and integrative approaches are distinguished. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the essence of Smart City marketing, determine its role in the processes of digital transformation of municipal governance, and prove the necessity of implementing marketing tools in the development of urban communities. A conceptual model of Smart City marketing is presented, which includes the following key components: digital technologies, data analytics, service design, stakeholder ecosystem, and sustainable value creation. A multi-level structure of the Smart City marketing system is described, covering strategic, tactical, and operational levels of management. The role of Smart City marketing in the post-war recovery of Ukrainian cities is identified. In this context, Smart City marketing is considered as a strategic tool that contributes to building trust, attracting investments, developing partnerships, and improving the quality of life of the population. The main advantages of implementing Smart City marketing are identified, including: increasing the efficiency of municipal governance through the use of data and analytics; improving the quality of life through the development of digital services; enhancing the investment attractiveness of the city; strengthening social cohesion and citizen participation in governance processes. At the same time, key challenges that hinder the development of this concept in Ukraine are outlined. The implementation of Smart City marketing will contribute to the formation of a new quality of the urban environment, oriented toward human needs, innovation, and sustainability.