LA ESTRATEGIA DE INTERNACIONALIZACION DE UNA MARCA. EL CASO DE BILBAO EN LA EXPOSICION UNIVERSAL DE SHANGAI 2010

Abstract

In the past two decades of the 20th century, the industrial decline of many western economies has forced them to turn towards the tertiary sector in order to diversify their economy and find new sources of income. Some have emphasized their qualities as cultural centres or their location advantages. Others have highlighted historical events or sporting events to compete in an increasingly symbolic space-economy. But in all cases, one of the characteristics of that new reality was the development of urban regeneration plans. The city of Bilbao was familiar with this process and it developed its own Strategic Plan for the Revitalization of the Metropolitan Bilbao, which main objective was to change the national and international city’s image, which would represent an economic transformation and a higher quality of life. The growing competition between cities and increasing globalization means that every country, every region and every city around the world must compete constantly with every other for its share of the world’s consumers, tourists, investors, entrepreneurs, residents, sporting events, cultural events, industries, global capital, etc. This means that cities are now considered in much the same way as a business organisation in their fight against other cities in the market. Hence, they are using business management tools to design a successful strategy, such as market orientation, city marketing, marketing plan, or a definition of a competitive image and brand.