79569bfb-6582-46c7-9ce3-4d7db51e101a20250731064816491wseas:wseasmdt@crossref.orgMDT DepositWSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS2224-28991109-952610.37394/23207http://wseas.org/wseas/cms.action?id=40161720251720252210.37394/23207.2025.22https://wseas.com/journals/bae/2025.phpThe Power of Metaphors in Place MarketingArviKuuraPärnu Collage, University of Tartu, Ringi 35, 80012 Pärnu, ESTONIARiinaTomastPärnu Collage, University of Tartu, Ringi 35, 80012 Pärnu, ESTONIAThis paper examines the still underutilized potential of metaphors in the context of place marketing, a field that includes place branding and placemaking. It aims to explore how metaphors can enhance the understanding and communication of place-related concepts, ultimately creating more meaningful connections between places and their inhabitants or visitors. The paper starts with a brief conceptual overview that inter alia brings out some enrapturing linkages to organizational sensemaking and improvisation. The research employs a systematic review of literature, yielding a sample of 32 relevant peer-reviewed articles retrieved from the Web of Science. Using a qualitative grounded theory approach, often referred to as the 'Gioia methodology', the study identifies key first-level constructs through open coding and then aggregates these into second- and third-order dimensions. The results reveal that metaphors are currently underutilized in place marketing, although they have been widely applied in related fields such as organizational theory. Metaphors hold significant potential for fostering meaningful placemaking and brand communication. The study proposes that metaphors could facilitate behavior change, promote resident engagement, and strengthen collaboration in creating quality places. These insights provide a foundation for further exploration of metaphors in place marketing, highlighting the need for more empirical and conceptual research in the field.7312025731202517871797142https://wseas.com/journals/bae/2025/c865107-040(2025).pdf10.37394/23207.2025.22.142https://wseas.com/journals/bae/2025/c865107-040(2025).pdf10.1108/jpmd-01-2019-0003Coffin, J., Deleuzoguattarian place marketing: becoming, between, beneath and beyond, Journal of Place Management and Development, Vol.13, No.3, 2020, pp. 229- 240. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMD-01-2019- 0003. 10.4324/9781003286189-5Mabillard, V., Pasquier, M. and Vuignier, R., Place Branding and Marketing from a Policy Perspective: Building Effective Strategies for Places, Taylor & Francis, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2024.23343 02. 10.18848/2325-1662/cgp/v18i01/97-115Song, S., & Um, S., The SCAAA Process: A Framework for Placemaking in the TwentyFirst Century, International Journal of Architectonic, Spatial, & Environmental Design, Vol.18, No.1, 2024, pp. 97-115. https://doi.org/10.18848/2325- 1662/CGP/v18i01/97-115. 10.1177/1538513216680464Blessing, R., Jane eternal: The lasting influence of Jane Jacobs’s death and life of great American cities on urban planning, Journal of Planning History, Vol.16, No.1, 2017, pp. 85-90. https://doi.org/10.1177/1538513216680464. Oldenburg, R., Our Vanishing “Third places”, Planning Commissioners Journal, Vol.25, No.4, 1997, pp. 6-10. 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.10.008Williams, S. A., & Hipp, J. R., How great and how good?: Third places, neighbor interaction, and cohesion in the neighborhood context, Social Science Research, Vol.77, 2019, pp. 68-78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2018.10.0 08. Wyckoff, M. A., Definition of placemaking: four different types, Planning & Zoning News, 2024, [Online]. www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/375/65814/4types placemaking_pzn_wyckoff_january2014.pdf (Accessed Date: September 13, 2024). 10.1080/14649357.2023.2286131Keidar, N., Fox, M., Friedman, O., Grinberger, Y., Kirresh, T., Li, Y., Manor, Y.R., Rotman, D., Silverman, E. and Brail, S., Progress in Placemaking, Planning Theory & Practice, Vol.25, No.1, 2023, pp. 143–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649357.2023.22861 31. 10.1007/s42413-020-00078-3Ellery, P. J., Ellery, J., & Borkowsky, M., Toward a theoretical understanding of placemaking, International Journal of Community Well-Being, Vol.4, No.1, 2021, pp. 55-76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42413-020-00078-3. 10.1177/10860266241233600Fohim, E., Cartel, M., & Kella, C., Making Sustainable Places Through Spaces: Role Identity Expansion and Imagination in a Swiss Urban Planning Committee, Organization & Environment, Vol. 37, No.3, 2024, pp. 408– 439. https://doi.org/10.1177/10860266241233600. 10.1111/j.1931-0846.1998.tb00108.xRome, A. W., William Whyte, open space, and environmental activism, Geographical Review, Vol.88, No.2, 1998, pp. 259-274. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1931- 0846.1998.tb00108.x. 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119595Kagan, S., Hauerwaas, A., Helldorff, S., & Weisenfeld, U. Jamming sustainable futures: Assessing the potential of design thinking with the case study of a sustainability jam, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol.251, 2020, 119595. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119595. 10.1108/ijefm-09-2016-0063Richards, G., From place branding to placemaking: the role of events, International Journal of Event and Festival Management, Vol.8, No.1, 2017, pp. 8-23. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-09-2016-0063. Sadeghi, A. R., Shahvaran, F., Gholami, A. R., & Feyzabi, T., Toward behavior-based placemaking: the evolution of place concept in urban design knowledge, International Journal of Human Capital in Urban Management, Vol.7, No.3, 2022, pp. 357-372. https://doi.org/10.22034/IJHCUM.2022.03.05. 10.1177/2631787720942524Kornberger, M., & Mantere, S., Thought experiments and philosophy in organizational research, Organization Theory, Vol.1, No.3, 2020, 2631787720942524. https://doi.org/10.1177/2631787720942524. 10.1177/1350508411401946Beyes, T., & Steyaert, C., Spacing organization: Non-representational theory and performing organizational space, Organization, Vol.19, No.1, 2012, pp. 45-61. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350508411401946. 10.1111/joms.12868Wright, A. L., Irving, G., Zafar, A., & Reay, T., The role of space and place in organizational and institutional change: A systematic review of the literature, Journal of Management Studies, Vol.60, No.4, 2023, pp. 991-1026. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12868. 10.1177/01708406241252944Dacin, M. T., Zilber, T. B., Cartel, M., & Kibler, E., Navigating Place: Extending perspectives on place in organization studies, Organization Studies, Vol.45, No.8, 2024, pp. 1191-1212. https://doi.org/10.1177/01708406241252944. 10.1177/0170840619875782Fotaki, M., Altman, Y., & Koning, J., Spirituality, Symbolism and Storytelling in Twenty-first-Century Organizations: Understanding and addressing the crisis of imagination, Organization Studies, Vol.41, No.1, 2020, pp. 7-30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840619875782. 10.1177/1086026611434274Morgan, G., Reflections on images of organization and its implications for organization and environment, Organization & Environment, Vol.24, No.4, 2011, pp. 459- 478. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026611434274. 10.1177/0018726715624497Morgan, G., Commentary: Beyond Morgan’s eight metaphors, Human Relations, Vol.69, No.4, 2016, pp. 1029-1042. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726715624497. 10.1177/0018726715623999Örtenblad, A., Putnam, L. L., & Trehan, K., Beyond Morgan’s eight metaphors: Adding to and developing organization theory, Human Relations, Vol.69, No.4, 2016, pp. 875-889. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726715623999. 10.1177/0018726715612899Schoeneborn, D., Vasquez, C., & Cornelissen, J., Imagining organization through metaphor and metonymy: Unpacking the process-entity paradox, Human Relations, Vol.69, No.4, 2016, pp. 915-944. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726715612899. 10.1177/0018726715618764Pinto, J., ‘Wow! That’s so cool!’ The Icehotel as organizational trope, Human Relations, Vol.69, No.4, 2016, pp. 891-914. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726715618764. 10.2307/258556Weick, K. E., Theory construction as disciplined imagination, Academy of Management Review, Vol.14, No.4, 1989, pp. 516-531 https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1989.4308376. 10.2307/258918Tsoukas, H., The missing link: A transformational view of metaphors in organizational science, Academy of Management Review, Vol.16, No.3, 1991, pp. 566-585. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1991.4279478. 10.1177/0170840606068333Cornelissen, J. P., Making sense of theory construction: Metaphor and disciplined imagination, Organization Studies, Vol.27, No.11, 2006, pp. 1579-1597. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840606068333. 10.1177/0170840607086635Hatch, M. J., & Yanow, D., Methodology by metaphor: Ways of seeing in painting and research, Organization Studies, Vol.29, No.1, 2008, pp. 23-44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840607086635. 10.1007/s43545-022-00430-8Kuura, A., Lundin, R. A., & Sandoval, I., Chunking and jazzing: “after method” alternative approaches in social science research, SN Social Sciences, Vol.2, No.7, 2022, 117. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545- 022-00430-8. 10.1111/ijmr.12356Gruner, R. L., & Minunno, R., Theorizing across boundaries: How to conduct a ‘breakout’ literature review, International Journal of Management Reviews, Vol.26, No.3, 2024, pp. 331-343. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12356. 10.1177/1086026611436328Jermier, J. M., & Forbes, L. C., Metaphor as the foundation of organizational studies: Images of organization and beyond, Organization & Environment, Vol.24, No.4, 2011, pp. 444-458. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086026611436328. 10.1007/s11301-022-00301-9Komander, V., & König, A., Organizations on stage: organizational research and the performing arts, Management Review Quarterly, Vol.74, No.1, 2024, pp. 303-352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-022-00301-9 10.1177/16094069211019589Nardon, L., & Hari, A., Sensemaking through metaphors: The role of imaginative metaphor elicitation in constructing new understandings, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, Vol.20, 2021, 16094069211019589. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069211019589.. 10.1108/s0733-558x20220000079005Schoeneborn, D., Vasquez, C., & Cornelissen, J. P., Theorizing the role of metaphors in coorienting collective action toward grand challenges: The example of the Covid-19 pandemic, In Organizing for Societal Grand Challenges Emerald Publishing Ltd. 2022, pp. 69-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733- 558X20220000079005. 10.1111/joms.13033Glaser, V. L., Sloan, J., & Gehman, J., Organizations as Algorithms: A New Metaphor for Advancing Management Theory, Journal of Management Studies, Vol.61, No.6, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.13033. Barrett, F. J., Foreword. In: Örtenblad, A. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Metaphor in Organization Studies, Oxford Academic, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780192895 707.002.0004. 10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.09.029Giovanardi, M., & Lucarelli, A., Sailing through marketing: A critical assessment of spatiality in marketing literature, Journal of Business Research, Vol.82, 2018, pp. 149- 159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.09.029. Mitterhofer, H., & Jordan, S., Using Metaphors in Research: Visual Metaphors in Organizations, In: Örtenblad, A. (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Metaphor in Organization Studies, Oxford Academic, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780192895 707.013.16. 10.1177/0021886320982715Gioia, D. A., A systematic methodology for doing qualitative research, The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Vol.57, No.1, 2021, pp. 20-29. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886320982715. 10.1111/caim.12626Mayer, S., & Schwemmle, M., The impact of design thinking and its underlying theoretical mechanisms: A review of the literature, Creativity and Innovation Management, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/caim.12626. 10.1080/0042098032000106555Wu, F., The (post-) socialist entrepreneurial city as a state project: Shanghai's reglobalisation in question, Urban studies, Vol.40, No.9, 2003, pp. 1673-1698. https://doi.org/10.1080/004209803200010655 5. Edleman, D., Branding in the digital age: you’re spending your money in all the wrong places. Harvard Business Review, Vol. 88, No.12, 2010, pp. 62-69. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.12247.85926. 10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.101857Kent, M. L., & Li, C., Toward a normative social media theory for public relations, Public Relations Review, Vol.46, No.1, 2020, 101857. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2019.101857. 10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122151Acuti, D., Lemarié, L., & Viglia, G., How to enhance the sustainable disposal of harmful products, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol.186, 122151, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.12215 1. 10.1177/0276146714523293Brown, S., & Campelo, A., Do cities have broad shoulders? Does Motown need a haircut? On urban branding and the personification of place, Journal of Macromarketing, Vol.34, No.4, 2014, pp. 421-434. https://doi.org/10.1177/0276146714523293. 10.1016/s1353-8292(00)00005-8Kearns, R. A., & Barnett, J. R. “Happy Meals” in the Starship Enterprise: Interpreting a moral geography of health care consumption, Health & Place, Vol.6, No.2, 2000, pp. 81-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1353- 8292(00)00005-8. 10.1108/jsocm-12-2012-0048Anghelcev, G., Chung, M. Y., Sar, S., & Duff, B. R., A ZMET-based analysis of perceptions of climate change among young South Koreans: Implications for social marketing communication, Journal of Social Marketing, Vol.5, No.1, 2015, pp. 56-82. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSOCM-12-2012- 0048. 10.1108/jabes-02-2019-0013Truong, V. A. T., Applying the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique on understanding place image: Danang–the livable city of Vietnam in the minds of students, Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies, Vol.27, No.2, 2020, pp. 153-173. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABES-02- 2019-0013. 10.1108/jpbm-05-2020-2921Jain, V., Shroff, P., Merchant, A., & Bezbaruah, S., Introducing bi-directional participatory place branding: a theoretical model with multi-stakeholder perspectives, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol.31, No.1, 2022, pp. 73-95. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-05-2020-2921. 10.1080/1463677042000237044Mather, C., Bickford, J., & Fleising, U. Unpacking animal metaphors for commercial relationships in the biotechnology industry, New Genetics and Society, Vol.23, No.2, 2004, pp. 187-203. https://doi.org/10.1080/146367704200023704 4. 10.1108/mip-09-2014-0166Brown, S., When innovation met renovation: back to the future of branding, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 33, No.5, 2015, pp. 634-655. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09- 2014-0166. 10.1016/j.jdmm.2020.100484Rossolatos, G., A brand storytelling approach to COVID-19's terrorealization: cartographing the narrative space of a global pandemic, Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, Vol.18, 2020, 100484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2020.100484. 10.1080/10926488.2017.1338018Jaworska, S., Metaphors we travel by: A corpus-assisted study of metaphors in promotional tourism discourse, Metaphor and Symbol, Vol.32, No.3, 2017, pp. 161-177. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926488.2017.13380 18. 10.37394/232015.2022.18.65Kalogiannidis, S., Kontsas, S. Konteos, G. & Chatzitheodoridis, F. A small City Rebranding: Another View of the Territorial Marketing. WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development, Vol.18, 2022, pp. 686-701. https://doi.org/10.37394/232015.2022.18.65. 10.37394/232015.2020.16.61Karanikola, P., Tampakis, S., Matzaraki, L., & Tampakis, A. The residents’ take on using bicycles in the urban environment: The case of the city of Alexandroupolis, Greece. WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development, Vol.15, 2019, pp. 204-212. 10.37394/232015.2020.16.77Castanho, R. A., Couto, G., Pimentel, P., Carvalho, C., Sousa, Á. & Garrido Velarde, J. Assessing the impacts of public policies over tourism in Azores Islands. A research based on tourists and residents perceptions. WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development, Vol. 16, 2020, pp.744-753. https://doi.org/10.37394/232015.2020.16.77.