Gabriella Fodor

Gabriella Fodor

  • gabi.fodor@gmail.com
  • Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest
  • Faculty of Social Sciences, PhD Programme of Interdisciplinary Social Research
Participant in 2014
Work history Klebelsberg Institution Maintenance Centre
communications expert, August 2013 – present days
Responsibilities: Planning and executing the communications activities of an EU funded priority project. Creating communications strategy and timetable, writing press releases, organizing press conferences, maintaining relationship with private and public media, following the instructions of EU project communication guide, recommending actions for internal and external communication.

IIR Hungary
conference producer, February 2013 – July 2013
Responsibilities: organizing the program of conferences on the field of economics and communication after carrying out market research, choosing and contacting the presenters, writing marketing papers, being host of the conferences.

GMM Europe Bt.
expert, September 2011- December 2012
Responsibilities: monitoring European Union policies and law, writing summaries and newsletters, creating marketing and public affairs strategies.

Young and Partners
PR manager, December 2010 – June 2011
Responsibilities: creating and executing campaign strategies and plans for other actions, e.g. organizing press conferences and other events, preparing press releases, PR articles, coordinating social marketing activity.

REevolutio Consulting
communications consultant, June 2009 – November 2010
Responsibilities: writing studies, urban marketing strategies, market research reports, coordinating the PR communications activity of the company, preparing the text for flyers, brochures and websites.

Political Capital Institute
analyst, media-analyst, communications consultant, December 2004 – April 2009
Responsibilities: writing studies, media and political analysis, preparing background information and marketing communications plans, writing press releases, Q&A’s, brainstorming, media monitoring.

Dobó István Fortress Museum, Eger
tourist guide in English and Hungarian, 1999-2001
Study history Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Social Sciences,
PhD Programme of Interdisciplinary Social Research (2011-)
Urban Marketing

University of Szeged, Budapest Media Institute
Communication, Journalism (2001-2004)

Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Law
Political Sciences (2000-2005)

Dobó István Gimnázium, Eger,
High school (1995-1999)

Phd Projects

2014

Examination of an urban image – Possibilities of urban image development

The aim of this research is to illustrate the real elements of an urban image and examine the possibilities in developing an image employing the tools of urban communication.

There are many descriptions of urban marketing and images of towns. There is a severe lack of urban image research in Hungary. There are as many descriptions as there are companies. Without this scientific background, the consultant companies create marketing ideas to sell urban marketing as a service.

This research postulates that urban image is not only a good website, or a well-done advertising campaign, but it is a more nuanced approach that includes comprehensive strategies, such as understanding public opinion, creating in-depth communications strategies, and a heavy focus on economic and cultural development.

One of the most important theorists of urban image was Kevin A. Lynch (1960). The focus of his urban research was the relationships between a town and its inhabitants. In the field of urban marketing, the work of Philippe Kotler (1993) and G. Gregory John Ashworth (1990) are also very important. This research, with the help of this scientific background, plans to examine the urban image as an interdisciplinary process, which is influenced by urban sociology, political science, economics, history and ethnography, architecture, art history, ecology, etc. The available tools of communication help transform these elements into an urban image. This research is based on the premise that an urban image can be developed utilizing the tools of urban marketing and communication.

As the first step in my research, I define the meaning and the elements of an urban image, and I conduct a comparative town analysis regarding the various aspects of their urban image. The methodology of the town research consists of three parts: analyzing the communications tools used by the town, making interviews with the members of the local government and other stakeholders, distributing a questionnaire to better understand the inhabitants’ opinions about their life in the town.

The significance of this research is its potential to add new aspects to Hungarian urban marketing theories, and to create a practical handbook for local governments to develop their urban image by using communications’ tools and involving inhabitants. This research emphasizes that the most important basis of a successful town is its society.

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