International Talent and Jyväskylä: A study of international ICT professionals for city marketing development of Jyväskylä
Kholghi, Saeedeh (2021)
2021
All rights reserved. This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021120924678
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2021120924678
Tiivistelmä
As a small-sized city in Finland, Jyväskylä is expected to suffer from the aging population of the country and the lack of professionals in the field of information and communications technology (ICT). The cap-ital area of Finland is the only region expected to grow by international talents and other immigrants. To cope with the expected challenges, the City of Jyväskylä, a municipal organization, decided to out-line a city marketing plan to attract international talents in the ICT field from the capital area to Jyväskylä.
The aim of the research was to identify the essential factors which are needed for Jyväskylä city mar-keting and branding to attract the target group of international ICT talents living in Finland. To study the target group’s needs, perceptions, and attitudes in-depth, qualitative research through semi-structured interviews was implemented. Eight international employees in the field of ICT who live in Jyväskylä and the capital area of Finland were interviewed for the research. The theoretical framework of the research was based on earlier academic research in the city marketing and branding field.
It was discovered that employment and professional development opportunities are crucial needs for all the participants. Other needs such as living environment, living and leisure facilities, social life and friends are existing but with varying preferences. The brand associations that make Jyväskylä different from the capital area of Finland are a peaceful place to work and live, nature, lakes, a young city, a student city, cheap and easy to live, and a small city with unique character. Jyväskylä as a small city can generate a positive or negative image for the target audience based on their needs. There is a connection between meeting the needs of the target group and the perceived brand image, but the negative image of employment opportunities in Jyväskylä is significant and needs to be considered seriously. The results also showed that utilizing different emerging and traditional marketing channels in Finland is necessary to deliver the brand message. English as the marketing language was considered necessary. Implementing city marketing approaches that enable two-way communication between the city brand, stakeholders, and target audiences was recommended.
The aim of the research was to identify the essential factors which are needed for Jyväskylä city mar-keting and branding to attract the target group of international ICT talents living in Finland. To study the target group’s needs, perceptions, and attitudes in-depth, qualitative research through semi-structured interviews was implemented. Eight international employees in the field of ICT who live in Jyväskylä and the capital area of Finland were interviewed for the research. The theoretical framework of the research was based on earlier academic research in the city marketing and branding field.
It was discovered that employment and professional development opportunities are crucial needs for all the participants. Other needs such as living environment, living and leisure facilities, social life and friends are existing but with varying preferences. The brand associations that make Jyväskylä different from the capital area of Finland are a peaceful place to work and live, nature, lakes, a young city, a student city, cheap and easy to live, and a small city with unique character. Jyväskylä as a small city can generate a positive or negative image for the target audience based on their needs. There is a connection between meeting the needs of the target group and the perceived brand image, but the negative image of employment opportunities in Jyväskylä is significant and needs to be considered seriously. The results also showed that utilizing different emerging and traditional marketing channels in Finland is necessary to deliver the brand message. English as the marketing language was considered necessary. Implementing city marketing approaches that enable two-way communication between the city brand, stakeholders, and target audiences was recommended.