Providing a framework for the role of marketing in local development, focusing on key success factors

Document Type : Article extracted From phd dissertation

Authors
Mohammad Dawwod Mansouri 1
Mohammad Bashokouh Ajorloo 2
Gaseem Zarie 2
Naser Seyfollahi 2
1 PhD Student in Marketing Management, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
2 Professor, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
10.22034/he.2026.565237.1179
Abstract
In the contemporary business environment, characterized by globalization, digital transformation, and an increasing emphasis on sustainability, marketing management plays a pivotal role in promoting local development. This approach positions marketing as a strategic tool for leveraging local potential, including natural resources, cultural heritage, and a young workforce. However, emerging economies such as Iraq face structural challenges, including political instability, financial constraints, and environmental issues, that affect local development. These challenges highlight the need to identify the key success factors in local marketing, where place branding and local marketing strategies position local communities as competitive offerings in global markets and facilitate the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI). The primary objective of this study is to examine how marketing management can be integrated into sustainable local development strategies in Iraq, with a particular focus on key success factors. The study adopted a qualitative research approach using the Strauss and Corbin grounded theory methodology and was based on semi-structured interviews with experts, including academics, managers, and marketing professionals. Snowball sampling continued until theoretical saturation was reached, and the collected data were analyzed through three stages of coding: open, axial, and selective coding. The findings reveal a paradigmatic model comprising causal conditions (employment development and technological innovation), the central phenomenon (digital and brand-oriented marketing), contextual conditions (community participation and cultural adaptation), intervening conditions (local risks and government regulations), strategies (stakeholder engagement and performance monitoring), and consequences (economic growth, environmental protection, and social well-being). The study concludes that marketing, as a key success factor, not only strengthens local economic sustainability through market-oriented coordination and the strategic utilization of digital tools but also enhances long-term competitiveness by reducing project failure rates and overcoming structural challenges in emerging economies such as Iraq. Ultimately, this contributes to the sustainable and inclusive development of local communities.
Keywords
Local Marketing
Local Development
Critical Success Factors
Place Branding
Sustainable Economy
Subjects
  1. Altaie, M. R., & Onyelowe, K. (2024). Identifying failure factors in the implementation of residential complex projects in Iraq. Journal of Engineering, 30(02), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.31026/j.eng.2024.02.01
  2. Ancuța, C., & Jucu, I. S. (2023). Sustainable rural development through local cultural heritage capitalization—analyzing the cultural tourism potential in rural Romanian Areas: A case study of Hărman Commune of Brașov Region in Romania. Land, 12(7), 1297. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12071297
  3. Cerisola, S., & Panzera, E. (2025). Heritage tourism and local prosperity: An empirical investigation of their controversial relationship. Tourism Economics, 31(5), 964-983. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548166241234099
  4. Crescenzi, R., De Filippis, F., Giua, M., & Vaquero-Piñeiro, C. (2022). Geographical Indications and local development: the strength of territorial embeddedness. Regional Studies, 56(3), 381-393. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2021.1946499
  5. Dawson, N. M., Coolsaet, B., Sterling, E. J., Loveridge, R., Gross-Camp, N. D., Wongbusarakum, S., ... & Rosado-May, F. J. (2021). The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation. Ecology and Society, 26(3), 19. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-12629-260319
  6. Dirks, U. (2022). Grounded theory. In Handbook of Pragmatics (pp. 1640-1669). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/hop.m2.gro2
  7. Farhan, S. L., Alobaydi, D., Anton, D., & Nasar, Z. (2025). Analysing the master plan development and urban heritage of Najaf City in Iraq. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 15(2), 254-273. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-09-2023-0144
  8. Karpunina, E. K., Mirzabalaeva, F. I., Shirokova, L. V., Shadrina, Z. A., & Mugaeva, E. V. (2021). Regional aspects of unemployment in Russia: structural approach. In Institute of Scientific Communications Conference (pp. 861-873). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69415-9_94
  9. Mendoza, C., Domínguez‐Mujica, J., Parreño‐Castellano, J. M., & Moreno‐Medina, C. (2025). Neo‐Endogenous Local Development, Tourism, and International Immigration in El Hierro, Spain. Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie, 116(2), 131-145. https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12653
  10. Miho, A. A. (2024). Economic diversification in Iraq: A comprehensive review. Bhinneka: Jurnal Bintang Pendidikan dan Bahasa, 2(3), 287-301. https://doi.org/10.56388/bhinneka.v2i3.867
  11. Milán-García, J., Uribe-Toril, J., Ruiz-Real, J. L., & de Pablo Valenciano, J. (2019). Sustainable local development: An overview of the state of knowledge. Resources, 8(1), 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources8010031
  12. Nazara, D. S. (2025). Marketing Strategy Innovation: Enhancing Competitiveness and Differentiation of Local Products in the Global Market. Oikonomia: Journal of Management Economics and Accounting, 2(3), 101-112. https://doi.org/10.61796/oikonomia.v2i3.358
  13. Osborne, S. P., Powell, M., Cui, T., & Strokosch, K. (2022). Value creation in the public service ecosystem: An integrative framework. Public Administration Review, 82(4), 634-645. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13474
  14. Parras, M. (2013). New global and local marketing strategies: Creation of added value through differentiation and high quality products. Present and future of the Mediterranean olive sector, 87-95. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.29011.12323
  15. Printezis, I., & Grebitus, C. (2018). Marketing channels for local food. Ecological Economics, 152, 161-171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.06.004
  16. Rommel, T., Palmtag, T., & Messerschmidt, L. (2025). Local economic consequences of foreign direct investment in democracies and autocracies. International Studies Quarterly, 69(2), sqaf025. https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqaf025
  17. Saad, Q. (2022). Design in Iraq: Discourse and its Contextual Transformation. Design and Culture, 14(1), 31-49. https://doi.org/10.1080/17547075.2021.2012006
  18. Semenova, T., & Al-Dirawi, A. (2022). Economic development of the Iraqi gas sector in conjunction with the oil industry. Energies, 15(7), 2306. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15072306
  19. Suitner, J., Haider, W., & Krisch, A. (2024). Socially innovative experiments for transformative local development: Putting more-than-growth-oriented local interventions in spatial context. Regional Science Policy & Practice, 16(9), 100035. https://doi.org/10.1002/rsp3.100035
  20. Susanti, L. (2025). Product Marketing Strategy Using Digital Marketing Technology. Journal of Social Science and Business Studies, 3(1), 386-391. https://doi.org/10.69943/jssbs.v3i1.128
  21. Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2004). The four service marketing myths: remnants of a goods-based, manufacturing model. Journal of Service Research, 6(4), 324-335. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670503262946
  22. Yi, C., & Qiu, X. (2025). From local government to local governance: A systematic literature review and future research agenda. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 84(1), 102-124. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8500.12644
  23. Zhang, Z., Li, M., Wu, Q., Wang, X., Jin, H., Chen, H., ... & Zhang, Z. (2024). Degradation and local growth of “Xing'an-Baikal” permafrost responding to climate warming and the consequences. Earth-Science Reviews, 255, 104865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2024.104865
Human Ecology
Volume 5, Issue 14
Spring 2026
Pages 2261-2279