City marketing objectives and tasks

The city of Pforzheim is in a similar situation to many other municipalities as it is subject to ever more difficult economic conditions. There is also more competition between cities to attract citizens, visitors and shoppers as mobility increases. Due to its location Pforzheim has to compete directly with both the greater areas of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe as well as a number of dynamic medium-sized towns in the locality. Furthermore, the municipal area of Pforzheim also has large outlying commercial areas with a high concentration of retail outlets which divert important purchasing power away from the inner city. It is therefore essential to find the right strategy to deal with the market positioning of the city centre.

In the spring of 2001, the Pforzheim city marketing organisation was set up to provide a professional structure in order to concentrate on this competition and maintain long-term competitiveness. The city marketing organisation commissioned an external agency and together they worked for more than six years to improve the interface between the city and the business community. A fully integrated catalogue of measures with clear strategic targets was elaborated to serve as a platform for all the important city centre institutions in order to increase the long-term attractiveness of Pforzheim. The idea was to make the city brand well-known and to continuously improve it. Target-oriented concepts for events and trading initiatives together with various merchandising products were developed and implemented for this purpose. The establishment of long-term structures to facilitate organisation and co-operation with partners from various fields was of decisive importance during the implementation and financing of the projects.

On the 1st January, 2007, the Pforzheim city marketing organisation was transformed into a municipal undertaking with the name Wirtschaft und Stadtmarketing Pforzheim (WSP). This new organisation was assigned the task of implementing an integrated city marketing strategy. The WSP organisation includes the independent division for "City marketing" along with divisions for "Business development", "Tourism", "Halls and trade fairs", and "Statistics". The bundling of these areas under the common management of the municipal undertaking increased effectiveness and efficiency.

The Pforzheim city marketing division has developed and implemented a number of projects to market and build up the image of the city centre. In particular, a core theme for the Pforzheim city marketing organisation is the idea of customer and purchasing power retention. Measures directed at this area include the implementation of strategically-oriented special shopping days on Sundays, late-night shopping events and special events for the Christmas period.

The orientation of events is adapted and fine-tuned explicitly to the structures existing in Pforzheim. Therefore, in particular, the annual schedule for Christmas is oriented towards a long-term marketing of the unique feature "Goldstadt Pforzheim". The high quality implementation specifically exploits the synergy existing between the jewellery and watchmaking industries while placing the festive season in the forefront. The Pforzheim architecture typical of the nineteen-fifties and sixties is reflected in the annual "Pforzheimer Wirtschaftswunder". This special Sunday shopping day event concentrates on the post-war German economic miracle. In line with this, the city marketing division has built up a strategically fine-tuned brand event with a clear reference to Pforzheim.

High priority objectives:

Strengthen the identity of Pforzheim as a location for the city inhabitants and inhabitants of the surrounding countryside
Strengthen the retail trade in the city
Strengthen gastronomy in the city
Strengthen service companies in the city
Strengthen cultural and recreational facilities available in the city of Pforzheim
Improve accessibility to Pforzheim and the general traffic situation
Make stays in the city more pleasant
Implement image and public relations work for the city of Pforzheim

Based on a consistent strategy for the marketing of Pforzheim and a clear position relative to other competing centres, the city marketing division pursues the following objectives:

Integration of the city centre in an overall concept with the aim of an integrated strategic marketing plan for Pforzheim
Clear positioning of Goldstadt Pforzheim as opposed to Stuttgart and Karlsruhe and the surrounding medium-sized centres (image building)
Increase the awareness of Pforzheim as a brand
Set up of brand events with nationwide significance
Attract new visitors, especially from areas outside the immediate vicinity (cultivate customer retention and increase purchasing power, sales promotions)
Create a city identity (team spirit, the idea of "this is my city")
Interactive participation of the population through lotteries, competitions, etc.
Integration of fellow citizens with an immigration background
Presentation of Pforzheim as a city friendly to families and children