The purpose of this review is to sketch briefly the history of place marketing from its origins within marketing science, geography and public sector place planning to its present applications in the Western city and its emergence most recently as place branding. The questions posed are, ‘what are we doing and why are we doing it?’ and, ‘is it both theoretically valid and practically effective?’ City image. The dynamic of inside perception between 2000 and 2004. The aim of this paper is to identify changes in inside perception of the Ploieşti city, a real sequence of Romanian urban habitat, giving the effects of the communist urban planning policies. On the other hand, city image, which represents the mental perception of the city, could bethe solution for a “good” planning in order to develop a “good” place for living. Also, the paper examines inner image of Ploieşti city, identifying “attractive” and “repulsive” areas as they were indicated during the two questionnaires made in 2001 and 2004.