Neolokalismista kohti maaseudun paikkaseksikkyyttä - Millaista tarinaa yritykset kertovat maaseudusta?

Abstract

In this article, we present the concept of sexing up places through interviews with nine companies in order to produce new kind of interpretation of Finnish rural. The theoretical background of this new concept is based on neolocalism. We aim at highlighting how neolocalism could be conceptually broadened with the theoretical construct we label as sexing up places. We gathered our data in two phases. First, by investigating Finnish companies which utilise place as a vital part in their brand, and by interviewing nine companies that are good examples of sexing up places in the context of the rural. The results show that sexing up places differs from neolocalism at least in three ways. Firstly, it is mainly produced by generation Y to the members of the same generation. Secondly, the visualization of the place is more minimalistic and up to date. Thirdly, sexing up rural places connects the rural and the urban on a social and emotional level. Thus, sexing up rural places brings about new possibilities to the image of the Finnish rural in general.