From Place Marketing to Territorial Intelligence: Why Low-Density Regions Need Evidence Before Promotion

Abstract

Many low-density municipalities are investing in place marketing to attract digital nomads before they have assembled the evidence base to do so responsibly. This brief argues that territorial intelligence, structured evidence on housing, services, connectivity, integration capacity, community priorities and risk must precede promotion, not follow it. Drawing on OECD and European Commission frameworks, the literature on territorial cohesion and place-based policy, and exploratory survey evidence on remote-worker preferences, the brief distinguishes territorial intelligence from place marketing and identifies four institutional risks of evidence-free promotion: reputational damage from overpromising, low retention and wasted investment, community tension, and policy lock-in without evidence. It then defines territorial intelligence across five evidence domains and explains how an evidence base enables honest, targeted and durable promotion rather than replacing it. The brief concludes with a practical eight-point checklist for municipalities and regional agencies considering remote-worker attraction, and argues that the sequence diagnosis–investment–promotion–scaling is the basis for accountable territorial development.