Priority target groups for environmental marketing of cities in Poland

Objective: The cognitive objective of the paper is to present the target groups for the environmental marketing of cities. The research objective was to identify the priority audiences for the green marketing of cities in Poland and to indicate what activities are undertaken regarding these most important groups. Design/methodology/approach: The primary research used the CAWI method, using a proprietary questionnaire. The research was conducted in Q1 2022. The subjects surveyed were cities in Poland. The questionnaire was sent out to all cities, and 414 returned and correctly completed questionnaires were analysed. The presented results represent a section of the entire research. Findings: The interviewed stakeholders indicate that, of the many groups mentioned, residents are the key audience for green city marketing activities. Residents were divided into three groups - young residents, middle-aged residents and older residents. According to the statements, the key audiences are young residents - 95% of indications. Next are middle-aged residents with 67% of indications and older residents with 63%. The least frequently mentioned key audiences are those associated with the scientific community - 4.6% of indications and foreign tourists - 6.3% of indications. Activities undertaken to promote ecology in the city are mainly based on creating pro-environmental attitudes among the youngest groups of residents. Research limitations/implications: The research was quantitative research, in the future the research could be extended to include qualitative research that would indicate the motives for selecting specific groups for urban green marketing activities. Practical implications: The results of the survey indicate that cities mainly focus on promoting environmental activities among their inhabitants. However, cities in most cases do not carry out surveys of their citizens about their environmental needs. It is worth considering conducting such a survey among residents in order to identify expectations and the most pressing issues. Originality/value: The research is aimed at all those interested in the subject of environmental marketing and in particular the target groups targeted by green city marketing activities.