THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF STRATEGIC MARKETING APPLICATION IN THE CONTEXT OF SMART-SPECIALIZATION OF REGIONS

The most important task of the successful development and implementation of the regional development strategy is the adoption and implementation of well-grounded and timely management decisions aimed at increasing the attractiveness of the territory for target audiences. One of the directions of this realization is the creation and development of the competitive advantages of a particular territory. The steps taken in this direction in the regions of Ukraine are of a non-systemic nature and, as a rule, do not solve the problem comprehensively. This is due to the lack of both theoretical groundwork, on the basis of which it would be possible to develop a comprehensive strategy for the region, and an effective toolkit that ensures the systematic participation of stakeholders in the development and implementation of such a strategy. An important research topic is the consistency of the selected priorities with the goals of sustainable development, corresponding innovations within the framework of technological progress, which makes it relevant to use marketing tools to expand the analytical and communication tools of smart specialization. The purpose of this study is to analyze the possibilities of using strategic marketing for smart specialization tasks. Strategic marketing must be seen in the context of smart specialization, which is an innovative approach aimed at stimulating growth and job creation, allowing regions to define and develop their own competitive advantages. In the context of the practical implementation of the components of smart specialization as a process, strategic marketing can be considered as an active process with a long-term orientation, aimed at exceeding the average indicators in other regions by systematically pur-suing a policy of creating a system of solutions that ensure the satisfaction of the needs of (current and prospective) stakeholders (current and potential) territories in a more efficient way than is possible in other regions. In the course of the study, it was determined that strategic marketing in the context of the practical implementation of smart specialization should be considered as a process of planning, developing and implementing strategic steps to gain a competitive advantage in selected areas. This process is necessary to map out the main goals of the region and find the most effective ways to achieve them.