Critically exploring the potential affective atmospheres of climate change : The case of Greenland
Porzionato, Monica LU and Cassinger, Cecilia LU
(2025)
International Critical Management Studies (ICMS)
- Abstract
- There is widespread criticism that place marketing initiatives contribute mainly to the commodification of places (Lichrou and Panayiotopoulos, 2021; Kavaratizis et al., 2018; Kavaratzis et al., 2017) and to the commodification of the climate crisis (Fletcher 2019). Place marketing is seen here only as a strategic management tool to make a place recognisable in the minds of different stakeholders, as a means to create a distinct, stable place identity detached from the lived and actual experience of places. Clegg and Kornberger note that the creation of a place brand “requires something to be positioned as elemental, definitive and different”, but identify a paradox, likening the process of branding to the taming of a place, in that, “to... (More)
- There is widespread criticism that place marketing initiatives contribute mainly to the commodification of places (Lichrou and Panayiotopoulos, 2021; Kavaratizis et al., 2018; Kavaratzis et al., 2017) and to the commodification of the climate crisis (Fletcher 2019). Place marketing is seen here only as a strategic management tool to make a place recognisable in the minds of different stakeholders, as a means to create a distinct, stable place identity detached from the lived and actual experience of places. Clegg and Kornberger note that the creation of a place brand “requires something to be positioned as elemental, definitive and different”, but identify a paradox, likening the process of branding to the taming of a place, in that, “to be branded means commodifying an easily discernible difference; but once it has been branded as such it cannot help but become ossified, predictable, boring, stale…” (2010: 8). Similarly, place marketing/branding messages have been critiqued for inevitably reflecting the agendas and perspectives of local hegemonies and a reflection of the power relations within a place (Sadler, 1993).
However, as we want to show in the case of Greenland, the potential of place marketing could also be highlighted in the way it allows for a less ambiguous place identity in the midst of geopolitical uncertainties and insecurities. In fact, place marketing is also conceptualized as a way of governing a place (Kavaratzis et al., 2017; Cull, 2023).
Furthermore, we argue, place marketing can also contribute to making the changing climate feel more tangible and ordinary in so far as it can promote a certain way of experiencing such changes in line with indigenous and relational values. The commodification of places and of climate change, therefore, is but one of the outcomes of place marketing in these climate vulnerable destinations, with other more positive ones being a valorization of places’ inescapable interconnectedness with other places and climates.
This paper aims to reflect on the potentials and shortcomings of place marketing through the case of the climate-vulnerable and currently politically unstable environment of Greenland. A particular focus is placed on the marketing strategies used by Greenland's official tourism website Visit Greenland to construct its place identity. In order to do this, we mobilise the concept of affective atmospheres. Such a concept allows us to understand place marketing as a participatory approach between managers and a wide range of stakeholders (Stubbs and Warnaby, 2015) and thus as a dynamic and emergent process of co-creating a place identity (Kavaratzis, 2012; Kavaratzis et al., 2018), but, above all, we argue, it allows us to pay attention to the complexity of places in terms of their fluidity, materiality and affectivity which is often overlooked in place marketing research (Steadman et al. 2021; Steadman and Coffin 2024). (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/36044b80-2625-46a9-9112-1cd076bc96e0
- author
- Porzionato, Monica
LU
and Cassinger, Cecilia
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025
- type
- Contribution to conference
- publication status
- unpublished
- subject
- conference name
- International Critical Management Studies (ICMS)
- conference location
- Manchester, United Kingdom
- conference dates
- 2025-06-18 - 2025-06-20
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 36044b80-2625-46a9-9112-1cd076bc96e0
- date added to LUP
- 2025-04-25 14:10:31
- date last changed
- 2025-04-25 16:45:55
@misc{36044b80-2625-46a9-9112-1cd076bc96e0,
abstract = {{There is widespread criticism that place marketing initiatives contribute mainly to the commodification of places (Lichrou and Panayiotopoulos, 2021; Kavaratizis et al., 2018; Kavaratzis et al., 2017) and to the commodification of the climate crisis (Fletcher 2019). Place marketing is seen here only as a strategic management tool to make a place recognisable in the minds of different stakeholders, as a means to create a distinct, stable place identity detached from the lived and actual experience of places. Clegg and Kornberger note that the creation of a place brand “requires something to be positioned as elemental, definitive and different”, but identify a paradox, likening the process of branding to the taming of a place, in that, “to be branded means commodifying an easily discernible difference; but once it has been branded as such it cannot help but become ossified, predictable, boring, stale…” (2010: 8). Similarly, place marketing/branding messages have been critiqued for inevitably reflecting the agendas and perspectives of local hegemonies and a reflection of the power relations within a place (Sadler, 1993).<br/><br/>However, as we want to show in the case of Greenland, the potential of place marketing could also be highlighted in the way it allows for a less ambiguous place identity in the midst of geopolitical uncertainties and insecurities. In fact, place marketing is also conceptualized as a way of governing a place (Kavaratzis et al., 2017; Cull, 2023).<br/><br/>Furthermore, we argue, place marketing can also contribute to making the changing climate feel more tangible and ordinary in so far as it can promote a certain way of experiencing such changes in line with indigenous and relational values. The commodification of places and of climate change, therefore, is but one of the outcomes of place marketing in these climate vulnerable destinations, with other more positive ones being a valorization of places’ inescapable interconnectedness with other places and climates.<br/> <br/>This paper aims to reflect on the potentials and shortcomings of place marketing through the case of the climate-vulnerable and currently politically unstable environment of Greenland. A particular focus is placed on the marketing strategies used by Greenland's official tourism website Visit Greenland to construct its place identity. In order to do this, we mobilise the concept of affective atmospheres. Such a concept allows us to understand place marketing as a participatory approach between managers and a wide range of stakeholders (Stubbs and Warnaby, 2015) and thus as a dynamic and emergent process of co-creating a place identity (Kavaratzis, 2012; Kavaratzis et al., 2018), but, above all, we argue, it allows us to pay attention to the complexity of places in terms of their fluidity, materiality and affectivity which is often overlooked in place marketing research (Steadman et al. 2021; Steadman and Coffin 2024).}},
author = {{Porzionato, Monica and Cassinger, Cecilia}},
language = {{eng}},
title = {{Critically exploring the potential affective atmospheres of climate change : The case of Greenland}},
year = {{2025}},
}