Partners in coffeeshops, canals and commerce: Marketing the city of Amsterdam

The position of Amsterdam as an international centre of business, culture and tourism has recently been threatened by increasingly fierce inter-urban competition. The desire to improve Amsterdam’s attractiveness to local and international audiences, and to retune the city’s international image, has led to a fundamental strategic marketing exercise involving a far-reaching examination of stakeholders, goals and competitive positioning. This article discusses this new approach towards marketing in the city, critically evaluating the marketing effort of Amsterdam in an attempt to further understanding of the application of marketing to cities. The article includes an assessment of the reasoning behind the various actions and a comparison with theoretical suggestions.