Priority development directions of rural territories marketing in terms of functioning efficiency increase of regional economy’s key elements are outlined. Major attention is paid to updating of marketing range of problems in the activity of local governance bodies of rural territorial communities in Ukraine in terms of new European integration challenges. In particular, attention is paid to the fact that Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, which stipulates creation of free trade area, opens new possibilities for exploitation of competitive advantages of Ukraine’s rural territories. However, maximum implementation of these advantages is related to rural territories’ economic capacity growth and can’t take place without introduction of modern marketing instruments into the activity of local governance bodies of rural territorial communities. ,br>Considerable influence of rural territories’ marketing on promotion of economic interests of both rural territories and entire Ukrainian regions at a whole is pointed out. It is especially relevant to modern stage of European integration, which is characterized by growth of European partners’ confidence in Ukrainian producers and authorities, also at local level. It creates favourable ground for investment attraction into agrarian sector of Ukrainian economy, especially in terms of efficient use of marketing influence leverages at the level of certain rural territories. ,br>Characteristic features of rural territories’ marketing that reflect capacity to influence through marketing instruments the reduction of transaction costs in a region’s economy and maintain growth of its competitiveness are defined. In particular, the fact that marketing mechanisms, oriented at correct defining of rural territory’s place in international division of labour, also maintain increase of efficiency of rural territorial communities’ resources exploitation and stimulate investors to put funds into a region’s economy is proved. Due to the abovementioned, technological modernization of region’s economy takes place and its financial self-sufficiency is maintained. ,br>Suggestions for state authorities and local governance bodies over the priority directions of rural territories’ marketing improvement in order to promote social and economic regional development are formulated. In particular, key importance of informational-educational and advertising-promotional activity and development of informational-communicational infrastructure at regional level in current conditions is stressed. Рубрика: Розвиток сільських територій 

marketing of rural territories, regional development, economic efficiency, competitiveness, European integration 

In the present article, the theoretical and applied aspects of forming the system of marketing of rural territories on the example of the border region are being studied. The publications of the Ukrainian and foreign scientists on the issue of regional marketing are being analyzed and the priority spheres of the development of marketing in the present conditions are being outlined on their basis. It has been proved, that the marketing of rural territories of the border region has its own development aspects that are determined by the specifics of human capital forming in the border villages, their high transit potential, character of their financial and inventory-logistics management, sectorial entrepreneurship structure, influence of the transborder cooperation and transborder labor migration. It has been grounded that under the conditions of administrative and territorial reform introduced in Ukraine, one of the priorities for the rural territories marketing development is forming the modern image of the new (enlarged) rural territorial communities aimed at increasing the amount of direct foreign investments. Special attention has been paid to the problem of marketing communication of the border territory development, namely in the context of intense information of the transborder economic space between Ukraine and the EU. The foremost attention has been paid to the informational and educational component and the problem of development of electronic means of communication in the rural territory. Separate attention has been paid to the analysis of the institutional aspects of development of the rural territory marketing, in particular to showing the influence of institutional dysfunctions on the effectiveness of the marketing communications on the border communities of the Western Ukraine. As a result of the present study, the conclusions and proposals for the public and local authorities of the border rural territories of Ukraine have been formulated. In particular, in order to increase the effectiveness of the marketing activity aimed at fostering the interests of the border rural territory within the boundaries of the transborder economic space, it has been proposed to: introduce the non-stop educational programs for the employees of the local authorities of the united rural territorial communities, activate the holding of the transborder communicational events in which different groups of interested people from both sides of the border could participate, as well as arrange the constant information exchange between the regional authorities of the Western Ukraine and neighboring regions - members of the EU on the available investment proposals and possible development programs within the boundaries of the border rural territories. 

rural areas, border region, socio-economic potential, regional marketing