Notions of materiality and linearity: The challenges of marketing the Hadrian's Wall place 'product'

This paper provides a detailed examination of the marketing of Hadrian's Wall in northern England. The focus of this case is built around two themes which encapsulate the complexities and challenges of marketing such a place entity: (1) the Wall's existence as an historical monument of diminished materiality, and (2) its linearity and spatial diffuseness. These themes emphasise the fact that marketing Hadrian's Wall is different from usual place-marketing activity, which is typically focused on more tangible and easily delineated place entities. Hadrian's Wall, by contrast, represents a 'fuzzy' place, and the implications of this are explored in relation to jurisdictional, functional, and strategic 'fissures' in the place product. © 2010 Pion Ltd and its Licensors.