INFORMATION ACTIVITY OF TERRITORIAL MUNICIPALITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF NEW SOCIAL AND COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to formulate the components of an effective communication policy of territorial municipalities in the context of a strategic vision of their development by means of territorial branding and marketing communications; to identify the main communication strategies of all participants in the internal and external information environment of the municipality, aimed at the formation of an internal consolidated micro-society and countering the destructive consequences of military actions, etc.

Research methodology. In the process of the research of the internal and external components of the communication policy of one of the most progressive municipalities of the Zaporizhzhia region, as well as the direct participation of the article’s author in the development of its qualitative components, which are part of the strategic documents of the analyzed municipality, scientific research methods and practical implementation tools were involved, in particular, monitoring, SWOT analysis, public hearings, project activities, modeling, comparative, and structural analysis.

Results. The introduction of martial law in Ukraine changed the functioning and development of territorial municipalities, a large part of which ended up in the war zone (or periodically falls into this list). However, previous achievements in the direction of sustainable processes of decentralization, in particular with regard to developed tools/channels of local communication in municipalities, are an actual object of attention because, under the conditions of military aggression, they became an effective means of humanitarian stabilization and security measures, prompted the patriotic impulse and emotional upsurge of Ukrainians at the beginning of the military invasion, and should contribute to the effective restoration of democratic processes after the end of hostilities. Sustainable communication positioning is a powerful tool for the development of the territory not only in its quantitative (defined as absolute indicators of marketing positioning) but also in its qualitative (defined as conventional indicators of the formation of a favorable image and communication strategies for the community) dimension.

Novelty. The work proves that branding and the use of marketing communications in the positioning of rural and township territories is an effective tool, on the one hand, for forming the image of a municipality’s attractiveness and its competitiveness both in the regional and all-Ukrainian administrative and territorial space, and, on the other hand, as means of internal consolidation and improvement of the lives of local residents.

Practical value. The results of the research have practical implementation and will be included in the strategic documents of Kushugum territorial municipality.

Key words: branding, decentralization, martial law, information activity, marketing communications, patriotism, positioning, public communication, territorial municipality.