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Article

Uses and Functions of the Territorial Brand over Time: Interdisciplinary Cultural-Historical Mapping

by
Giovana Goretti Feijó de Almeida
*,
Paulo Almeida
,
Lucília Cardoso
and
Luís Lima Santos
CiTUR, Polytechnic University of Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6448; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086448
Submission received: 13 February 2023 / Revised: 28 February 2023 / Accepted: 2 March 2023 / Published: 10 April 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sense of Place, Place Attachment and Sustainability in Culture, Tourism, Hospitality and Events)
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Abstract

:
Several approaches to the concept of the territorial brand have been given over time, which has generated different contextualizations to and applications of the concept. In order to homogenize and clarify the concept, the present paper aims to present the state-of-the-art of this theme through an interdisciplinary mapping of the uses and functions of the territorial brand. To this end, the study adopts a qualitative analysis approach, integrating content analysis with the historical method encompassing an interdisciplinary cultural-historical mapping. The results point to a clear and fertile body of theory, which, in turn, suggests a fertile path for future studies. The findings reveal more than 15 centuries across four dimensions of analysis: characteristics, uses, functions and discourses of the territorial brand. Different trends and future research agendas for this area are also discussed. The practical value focuses on the application of the four dimensions of analysis as a tool for territorial management and planning for territorial managers and decision-makers.

1. Introduction

Place branding is a theme that has been growing over recent decades. As a result of this increase in research, new concepts have emerged, such as nation branding, place branding and city branding. However, on the one hand, these concepts can be defined by the geographical delimitation; on the other, it is the identity and reputation of the geographical space that delimits their meaning and magnitude. Regarding the concepts, place branding [1,2,3] is often described as being synonymous with territorial branding or the territorial brand. However, as argued by Almeida [4], they cannot be seen as synonymous, firstly because the words branding and brand do not define the same thing; branding refers to the management of the brand, while the brand is the final product of this management [4,5], i.e., strategic brand management [6]. Secondly, as argued by Almeida and Cardoso [5], the place brand concept should be applied to the brand of a specific place, while the territorial brand concept refers to the territory in a broad sense. As Santos [7] states, place, region and territory are different spaces and therefore the place brand and the territorial brand are different concepts.
In light of the above, there is no doubt that place branding is the strategic management of a brand [2,4,5,8], whether it is the management of a place brand or of a territorial brand. However, coupled with the concept of a place brand, Aitken e Campelo [9] argue that the place brand is linked to the intensity with which the representation of the place reflects the community experience, i.e., the idea of collective ownership and authenticity (the brand essence). Further, Janiszewska and Insch [10] add that place brand positioning should be performed as an important element of the building of the brand itself. Almeida [4] (p. 247) argues that the territorial brand is linked to the territory and its dynamics, such as the dispute over the territorial and cultural identity of a given collectively constructed space.
In fact, Almeida and Cardoso [5] argue that the use of concepts from different areas of knowledge from which they did not originate may give rise to misuse and confusion in terms of their definitions, and therefore clarification of the concepts is needed. The fact that the use of the terms place, territory or region (or other similar terms, such as nation) leads to different categories and types of brands [5] is accounted for by the fact that these different terms refer to the socio-spatial context and, therefore, differ from each other [7]. The territorial brand emerged from the need to differentiate the place, the territory and the region, and so the basis for this comes from the areas of cultural geography, regional development and cultural studies [4]. In fact, there is a gap in studies on the territorial brand focused on these three major areas, and this basis of interdisciplinary areas of knowledge supports the concept of the territorial brand. For this reason, this study focuses on the concept of the territorial brand to demystify misunderstandings brought about by comparison between concepts that come from different scientific fields. To reinforce this idea, Zhang and Merunka [11] found that, by exploiting the unique characteristics of a particular territory, a brand can enhance consumers’ perception of product quality and authenticity, e.g., the cases of terroir and geographical indication. Therefore, a question arises: what are the uses, functions and speeches attributed to the territorial brand over time?
To answer the research question, the main objective of this paper is to investigate how territorial branding has been used by social actors over the years, using historical and cultural methods to build an interdisciplinary timeline. A critical discussion on territorial branding is contributed to support the mapping according to the characteristics, uses, functions and discourses of territorial branding over time. This study was carried out using qualitative content analysis and a historical method applied to all the existing literature on the territorial brand, territorial branding, the place brand and place branding indexed to the Scopus database to identify the first publications about the themes under study. In addition, we accessed specialized branding websites and the biblical narrative as historical documents of the territorial brand. The main results of the study point to the existence of an interdisciplinary over time, anchored in the territorial brand and originating from a discursive political-cultural device that changes over time.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Place Brand and Place Branding Concepts

The brand is a differentiated name or symbol of a product and the logo is the graphic representation of the brand, but it is not the brand itself [12,13]. Besides the physical characteristics of brands as a product, there is also the symbolic character that sets brands apart from each other [14,15], making them unique and singular [16]. The logo and the brand are not synonymous and there are differences between the concepts [15,17]. A logo is a graphic representation used as a strategic brand communication tool [18], while the brand is a more dynamic and fluid concept.
The brand goes beyond its graphic symbol persuading consumers to buy a product or ideology [14,15,19,20]. The symbolism added to the brand makes it a powerful force that influences consumers’ lives [6,17,20]. The brand is composed of different elements, both tangible and intangible, products or ideologies and the set of symbols that represent them [17,20]. The organization of these elements creates the basis of the brand communication structure, projecting a strategic message [21,22,23].
The place brand refers to the identity of a place and the physical environment [24]; the key element of this type of brand is the place itself. If there is no recognition of the place and a certain feeling of belonging, the place brand will not be formed. When talking about place branding, it is common to associate this term with destination brands due to the competition between tourist places [25]. The place brand identifies places and differentiates destinations, offering experiences. In this sense, the place brand has more association with tourism than the territorial brand. For Nunes et al. [26], the brand value of a destination is distinguished by two dimensions in particular: brand awareness and image. Brand awareness is related to the buyer’s ability to remember or recognize the brand [27]. Brand image, in turn, refers to the set of associations, attributes, benefits and attitudes that consumers have about the brand, what they think of it and what they remember [6]. Thus, the place brand is intended to create a product, such as, for example, a tourism destination. The territorial brand, on the other hand, is more comprehensive because, according to Almeida [4], it is used as a strategy to legitimize power among social actors.
Place branding refers to creating value (symbolic and economic) in a space [8,28,29,30,31,32] by reinforcing and cohesively representing the assets of a place as a narrative image of the place itself [33,34]. These narratives of a place are also important when planning spatial strategies [34,35]. The terminology is controversial and involves interdisciplinary areas related to geographic space [36]. Anholt [8] and Govers [37] showed that place branding is the management of the reputation and image of a place, being more than a sign (logo). Therefore, place branding strategists apply brand strategy and other techniques and disciplines—some derived from business practice, others newly developed—to cities’, regions’ and countries’ economic, social, political and cultural development [37]. A recently published study by Almeida [4] added regional development to the interdisciplinary debate on place branding, creating the concept of the territorial brand in regional development.

2.2. Territorial Brand and the Territory

Zhang and Merunka [11] found that, by exploiting the unique characteristics of a given territory, a brand can improve consumers’ perception of product quality and authenticity, for example, in the cases of terroir and geographical indication. In this case, the reference is to territorial marketing strategies focused on economic development [38]. The use of the territorial brand has often been associated with terroir, geographical indication, agro-food chains and tourism as a marketing tool [11,39,40,41] and considered a territorial competitiveness tool [42]. Some of the functions of the territorial brand found in the literature were to generate local engagement, attract tourists and generate competition [38,39]. Among the discourses on territorial brands is the development of productive chains (terroir, geographical indication), emerging economic development, local engagement [38], the existence of a global map of places [8], the implementation of a contemporary urban planning instrument [43] and as a tool for legitimizing discourses and power relations of social actors in and over the territory [4,44].
Different interpretations are given to the concept of territory and there is no universal concept to define it [45,46]. These differences come from the field of geography, which considers place, territory and region as different nomenclatures [7]. Thus, place branding and the place brand [8,12,28,47,48] refer to a specific place, while territory refers to a space delimited by power relations between social actors [49]. The place is a known space and the territory originates from top-down or bottom-up processes [50]. For Almeida [4], more than managing a product or a tourist destination, the territorial brand is a strategy of social actors that goes beyond economic development. When viewed from a regional perspective, the territorial brand involves the power relations of social actors in the use and appropriation of the territory produced by a collective. Almeida [4] (p. 247) argues that the territorial brand “[…] refers to the creation of symbolic value, the articulation of the actors as to the plurality of identities present in a territory […] and, region. It is incorporated into the concept the construction of narratives about the territory and the strategies used to enable the construction of a brand that articulates a set of actors” (p. 247). Thus, we can consider that Almeida’s [4] concept of the territorial brand is the most comprehensive because it adopts a system view of all the components.

3. Research Methodology

3.1. Method

We have opted for qualitative analysis, a type of research that seeks to understand the fragments of reality, as constructed and given meaning by the person him/herself, framing them in a global and contextualized way [51,52,53]. Qualitative design is open to the uncertain path that subjectivity takes when it must express itself and it is flexible to the modifications that these tactics and methodological strategies must have if they are to build climates of disinhibition and spontaneity [54]. We opted for the content analysis method, as argued by Cardoso et al. [55] (p. 5) “content analysis can be applied to identify and understand patterns (subjects) within the analyzed texts and is an objective procedure to describe and quantify phenomena through the analysis of texts”, which adequately applies to the present study’s objectives. As Powers and Knapp [56] argue, it is necessary when a range of strategies are used to analyze text or “a method to identify, analyze and report patterns (themes) within the data” [57] (p. 79). The deductive content analysis was applied using a variable-oriented approach [58,59].
In addition to content analysis, the historical method was used; the historical method investigates data using past facts and phenomena, preferably using primary sources to develop a historiography, or, in the case of this research, an interdisciplinary mapping of the territorial brand [60,61,62].

3.2. Data Collection

Three sources of evidence were used: (1) full articles found in the Scopus database; (2) websites specialized in brands and place branding; and (3) the Bible, considered by Rede [63] as a documental source and historical phenomenon, in addition to also being the first book published in the world. In this case, we rely on the biblical narratives about the Holy Land.
An expert website presents the research in a practical, commercial manner. Not many sites also provide the complete history of brands, especially territorial ones. Thus, we used those that were available with this information, such as Strategy-Box [64], Brand Target [65] and Ideia de Marketing [66] (Table 1).
Each of these sites helped us to form a part of the history of brands over time. To complete the gaps in the specialized brand sites, we used the literature review in the temporal mapping of the territorial brand.
Govers and Go (2009) found a study on the origins of place branding from 1641, associating it with Descartes’ ideas. For Govers and Go [67], the image is formed in people’s minds, forming a specific identity that makes it possible to experience a reality (experience). This study also served as a basis for this research. However, we emphasize that place branding and the territorial brand are considered as distinct concepts in this study.
The data were collected in June 2021 and June 2022 from the Scopus database, from the oldest to the most current document. The researchers considered all document types in the database (no exclusion criteria) and similar/different terms in Scopus (Table 2).
Most documents found in Scopus use the term place branding in contrast to territorial branding and territorial brand (Table 1). We also observed that the term place branding was the first to appear (2001), followed by place brand (2004), territorial brand (2007) and territorial branding (2009).
After collection, the documents were grouped by year in an Excel table. The first scientific research dealing with place branding was from 1975 [68], before Anholt’s [1] published studies. This finding shows that branding and marketing were once synonymous terms. Hankinson [48] was the first author to publish on place branding. Delpiano and González [69] were the pioneers of territorial branding and Ambrosino [70] was the first to publish on territorial brand. For place marketing, we found 571 documents, with Williams [71] being the pioneering author on the theme and for territorial marketing (161 documents), the pioneering author on the theme is Savona [72]. These publications show the emergence of the classical theme, place branding and current themes resulting from the former terms such as territorial brand and territorial branding.
After this data collection phase, the researchers decided not to use place marketing studies because marketing and branding are considered different concepts [4,5]. Thus, the study followed only the terms associated with branding (place branding, place brand, territorial branding and territorial brand).
To assist this methodology, we used the scientific publications from Scopus, the content of several websites specialized in branding and biblical documents to map the territorial brand that refers to its characteristics, uses, functions and discourses.

3.3. Data Analysis

The analysis of the collected data formed a research protocol containing five categories: origin, characteristics, use, function and discourses of the territorial brand over time. The data analysis was comparative [73] among the categories used in the generated mapping.
The set of five variables (origin century, characteristics, use, function and discourses) represented in Figure 1 of the research design were identified from studies on this theme [4,5,11,38,39,40,41,44].
We highlight that the search in the Scopus database was used mainly to identify which were the first publications on the themes of this study, as shown in Table 2. Then, the researchers focused only on the territorial brand because it was the object of study of the article.
The search for specialized sites was conducted through Google, using the terms “brand origin” and “branding origin”. Only three sites were chosen because only they presented a history (even if partial) of the territorial brand, place brand and place branding (Table 1). The data analysis carried out on each website was performed using a comprehensive reading to see if the site contained any historical data about brands related to territory or place. Then, a thorough reading of the data presented on the website was carried out to, subsequently, compose Table 3.

3.4. Study Variables

The variables of the study were elaborated on in the last phase of data analysis. We arrived at the five variables of the study as progress was made in the literature review and in the reading of the documents analyzed (Figure 1). Each step in this phase generated questions that overlapped, such as:
  • Does the territorial brand have different characteristics over time?
  • Has the use of the territorial brand always been (and is it still) economic in nature?
  • What is the function of the territorial brand?
  • What discourses are involved in the territorial brand?
  • Does the origin of the territorial brand influence its characteristics, uses, functions and discourses over centuries?
We employed the qualitative approach as a research technique in the data collection and analysis [74,75]. This research is descriptive and explanatory based on bibliographic and documentary research.

3.5. Research Period

The research development period was from January 2021 to December 2022, with the territorial brand and interdisciplinarity being part of more extensive research investigation, from 2015 until the current period.

4. Results and Discussion

The mapping of the topic of the territorial brand over time, focusing on the five variables, is summarized in Table 3. We emphasize that the study focuses on the territorial brand because it is a more comprehensive concept than the others (place branding and the place brand). Thus, other terms were not used in the study, only territorial brand was used.
Table 2 led to the creation of Figure 2, which presents the origins of the territorial brand by the century. We can see that the nature of this type of brand is religious, followed by economic and political. Currently, the economic argument is still highlighted, consistent with what we see in specialized literature and in the brand market.

4.1. Characteristics of the Territorial Brand

In each century analyzed, the findings led to the different characteristics associated with the territorial brand (Table 1). The religious nature was its first characteristic (VI–X), crossing the political dimension (XII–XIX) and the economic one (XX–XXI). Thus, there are three periods restricted by territorial brands: religious, political and economic. These periods expose power relations in different dimensions between social actors, as Almeida [4,44] stated. In this sense, what identifies a territorial brand is not necessarily the identification of a product or a commodity but the need to create a strategy to legitimize the interests of social actors in each context.
Heraldic coats of arms, for example, have been remodeled into official emblems of countries, states and cities. There is an attempt to “mark” the territory graphically to identify it with a given culture (for example, flags of countries or “coats of arms” of states, districts and cities). The term “brand” appears, however, only in the 17th century, associating the product with a logo (visual representation of the brand). This scenario exposes that the brand discourse came before the brand concept. Therefore, it is difficult to characterize the territorial brand before the 1980s. It is noteworthy that the mentioned decade is considered, in the scientific literature, as the period of origin of the territorial brand.
Besides the territory itself, the territorial brand stands out due to its symbolic character, making its construction unique. The studies by Gobé [14] and Holt [15] have highlighted the importance of symbolism in product brands; thus, we understand that this characteristic also extends to the territorial brand.
The characteristics found over the centuries on the territorial brand exposed the degree of persuasion of the social actors in demarcating (even if symbolically) a territory. This finding confirms that the brand goes beyond its graphic sign (logo). As argued by Aaker [13], Keller [6], Ding and Tseng [17], and Shepherd et al. [20], it is this sign that influences the persuasion of those who consume the brand, regardless of whether it is a product or an ideology. If there is a brand, there is something to be consumed. In the case of the territorial brand, its consumption is related to ideology.
The historical path showed territorial branding characteristics from various elements (symbols, speeches, signs, etc.). The tangible and intangible aspects of the brand had a specific message on the project (in this case, a statement of power). This dynamic created the basis of the brand communication structure. Thus, this basis is also an intrinsic feature of the territorial brand.

4.2. Use of the Territorial Brand

The territorial brand has not always been used only as an economic resource linked to tourism. In previous periods, a territorial brand had diversified its use. In the 6th century, the territorial brand differentiated territories considered “holy” from other territories. One of the parameters used for this distinction was the Bible, the first book written in the world. Araújo Júnior [76] argued that the Holy Land is a path taken by 12 tribes and considered sacred by biblical narratives. From this perspective, the Holy Land is taken as a territorial brand. In documents from religions other than Christianity, there will be mention of other territories. The question is not the document itself but how religion (regardless of what it is) had (and has) the power to determine what is, or is not, a “holy,” sacred, divine territory.
Over time, the territorial brand acquired new uses: in battles (Crusades); properties (10th century); in national symbols, such as flags of countries (11th century); in official emblems (“coats of arms”) of countries, states and municipalities (15th century); in the personification of cities (16th century); and in tourism (20th century). One can see that the use of the territorial brand has changed over time as the interests of the social actors who use it change.
The uses of the territorial brand, although different throughout the centuries, have created what Pasquinelli [77] called a collective strategy. The territorial brand is part of the strategy, creating communication spaces between social actors’ interests. Making a holy territory (like the Holy Land), restricting a territory by a flag, or establishing that a specific space is tourist-attracting (stating that there are spaces that are not tourist) creates relational spaces. These spaces emphasize the active role of the collective construction of meanings and their communication in these spaces. The territorial brand provides these connections and meanings that make sense in the place where they are adopted. This was perceived in the findings of this research.
Power relations constrain the territory, and territorial branding also has at its core these relations. This essence allows one to delineate a territory in multiple scales and dimensions. The Holy Land, for example, is a path that crosses different countries, each country from a top-down process that differentiates them. The Holy Land, as a territorial brand, overlaps countries, creating a unique and singular space formed by and from power relations between social actors. It is a disputation by different actors in the Holy Land. We highlight that these narratives about a place are essential for the development of appropriate strategies to “mark” a territory.

4.3. Function of the Territorial Brand

The function of the territorial brand has also changed over time. From the 6th to the 12th centuries, its function was to identify something in a territory (a sacred space, the properties of families and clans, enemies in battle, a nation). In contrast, from the 14th to the 16th centuries, its function was the personification of these brands (with adjectives and generic associations), establishing an emotional relationship between the brand and the consumer. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, there was the resumption of the identification function of territories. The 20th century pressures territories to be on a global map of places and the 21st century generates economic development from the territorial brand. Thus, one can separate the centuries into five functional categories of these brands: identification, personification, (re)identification, global reputation and development.
The function of the territorial brand comes close to managing this type of brand. Although the term place branding only emerged in the 1980s, we have identified that there was some place brand management in earlier times. It was more rudimentary management without the complexity of 21st century brands. The place branding approach comes from the idea that cities, regions and any geographical scale are brands, provided they create connections and lived experiences. This relationship exposes links between the brand, a symbolically delimited territory and the social actors, having a specific articulation that unites them.
According to Almeida [4], four factors create a territorial brand: brand, territory, dual territoriality (of the brand and the social actors) and strategic articulation. Thus, one has a territorial brand when the territory has these factors associated with connections and experiences. In addition, we point out that the images formed about places can generate positive understandings (reputation) or negative ones (stereotypes). These images also create mental networks of associations that influence people’s perceptions.
Therefore, in the context of regional development, the territorial brand needs to involve social actors’ power relations in the use and appropriation of the territory produced by a collective. Thus, one of the territorial brand’s functions is legitimizing these actors’ interests and discourses, which confirms Almeida’s [4] arguments.

4.4. Territorial Brand Speeches

The different discourses of the territorial brand found throughout the centuries exposed different types of feelings that go beyond land ownership. In the 6th century, a robust religious sense also “marked” the territory (depending on the religions practiced at the time). One tries to “mark” and “differentiate” the holy territories from the non-saintly or profane ones. The Holy Land, for example, is taken as “holy” because of the biblical accounts. It is a narrative that gives it the property of sacred, holy and sacral. Other territories, such as the Road to Santiago de Compostela, are considered to have a certain sacralization. In the 21st century, by maintaining their sacredness, these territories have brought about religious tourism, which goes hand-in-hand with the economic development of places and regions. A different feeling was introduced in the 10th century, namely a sense of property (land), which continued into the 15th and 17th centuries.
It is not enough to have such a territory but one must also be able to “mark” it with a distinctive sign, a territorial brand. The scenario exposes ways to create value (symbolic or economic) in a collectively productive space, confirming the statements by Kavaratzis [28], Anholt [8], Medway and Warnaby [29], and Pedeliento and Kavaratzis [30]. The construction of this value, mediated by a territorial brand, reinforces the importance of the assets of a particular place by creating a narrative image of the place itself. This narrative image becomes the basis of territorial brand building. Building narratives of this size is, in a sense, planning to build a reputation for that place through a brand. As reported by Anholt [8], the image of a place is more than a sign (logo), requiring the structure of a brand.
In the 12th and 19th centuries, there were feelings of patriotism. Nations adopted identifying symbols of this patriotism. In the 19th century, almost half of the countries worldwide had adopted a territorial brand in addition to national flags, as reported in Almeida’s [4] study. The identity symbols highlighted the patriotic sentiment, while the territorial brand inserted the territory into what Anholt [8] called a global map of places.
In the 20th century, competition arose, with territory leading in this scenario. Different scales (local, regional, national, etc.) of territories competed, creating territorial rankings among countries, cities, states and regions. It is not enough to have the possession and identification of a territory, it is necessary that social actors “have” the territory that is the best place to live or work, the best place to travel, the most sustainable territory and the smartest territory, among other adjectives. The territory is an arena for disputes and the protagonist of conflicts at various scales. The territory, therefore, becomes a social actor protagonist of the actions of a given set of social actors pursuing joint interests. To this end, it is necessary to “mark” this territory, giving it a strategic discourse to compete.
The feeling of global belonging is also characteristic of the territorial brand of the 21st century. We leave local and regional belonging and move towards a broader feeling of global belonging. The rankings of cities, brands and countries contribute to maintaining this feeling. In this sense, the slogans of the territorial brands, due to their generic nature, favor this maintenance. India, for example, has the slogan “Unbelievable,” while Dubai adopts “Where unbelievable things happen,” Brazil has “Sensational,” and New York has “I love N.Y.” These are very broad slogans, being generic because anywhere in the world can use them.
In the case of the slogan “I love N.Y.,” several cities have adopted this expression, changing only the city’s name. The generic character of these brands exposes the feeling of globality and allows us to see what belongs to the world. At the same time, they evidence that territories are present in what Anholt [8] called the “global map of places” and Almeida [4] called the “territorial symbolic arena.” In the territorial mapping of brands over the centuries, relations have been established (or are being constructed) in the territories. These relationships promote discourses that are in constant transformation, just like the territorial brand.
Figure 3 presents the data crossing between the variables of this research.
Tourism only appears in the 20th century, possibly because it was the period when the first country, Spain, created its brand. In this period, we also had the emergence of the concept of place branding by Simon Anholt, in 1983, driving the formation of a global map of places.
From the 5th century to the 19th century, the brand served to identify something, whether a territory, a place, a region, a country or a city, generating a certain reputation and identity for these spaces. Finally, it can be said that the territorial brand emerges from a religious context, migrating to the economic and political context over time. Therefore, the economic nature of territorial branding is recent, probably due to the pressure of globalization.

5. Conclusions

Analyzing more than 15 centuries of use of territorial brands oriented for different intentions, this article reveals important points in the research approaches of regions and territories (at different scales) and the uses and functions of the territorial brand in the development, planning and processes of local and regional governance. In presenting a comparison between the centuries, it is revealed that the uses and functions of the territorial brand orchestrated by the intentions of social actors are new data that offer advancement to the field of interdisciplinary studies of this theme. The territorial brand is identified from the 6th century to the 21st century, initially having a religious application; in the 17th century, it acquired a character linked to the family territory, “the terroir”; it obtained an economic character in the 11th century; political context between the 12th and 19th centuries; and it acquired an economic character again in the 20th and 21st centuries with the appearance of the tourism brands. Thus, in the characteristics of the territorial brand, three application domains of the territorial brand are identified: the religious, the political and the economic, with examples identified in each of these domains.
Regarding the uses of the territorial brand, although with different contexts over the centuries, it is concluded that the territorial brand achieves a collective strategy, creating spaces of communication between the interests of social actors and the territorial brand provides connections and meanings that make sense in the place where they are adopted.
Regarding the functions of the territorial brand, the study concludes that four factors are demarcated: brand, territory, dual territoriality (of the brand and the social actors) and strategic articulation. This confirms Almeida’s study [4].
Regarding the territorial brand speeches, the study identifies different discourses and emphasizes the 20th century to be the emergence of different scales of competition (local, regional, national, etc.), creating territorial rankings among countries, cities, states and regions. The sense of global belonging emerged in the 21st century with tourism-related brands.
Finally, it is highlighted that the territorial brand goes beyond the conceptual and methodological imprisonment of traditional approaches to “see it as a strategy” that reveals the power relations of social actors in multiple dimensions to effect regional territorial changes that shape futures.

5.1. Theoretical Implications

The results generated by the four variables of analysis, variables generated through the cascade of questions formulated in the study, lead to contexts that encompass the territorial brand and generate a relevant theoretical body for academics and scholars of this theme. Consequently, they generate a theoretical body that allows for the understanding of the origin and the development of the territory, as well as for the action of social actors in the production of a collective space.
By approaching the proposed research from a cultural-historical perspective, it is possible to recognize the territorial brand as a cultural-strategic element in the social and historical interaction of society. Based on the premise that the territorial brand is an instrument of legitimation of discourses and observing the investigated variables from the 5th to the 21st centuries, the theoretical body legitimated by the results of the study provides arguments for the inclusion of the territorial brand in interdisciplinary curricula. The approach of the methodological analysis through the four variables (characteristics, uses, functions and discourses of the territorial brand) proposes an innovative analysis of the territorial brand, with non-static but dynamic characteristics, following the evolution of the territory that has implications for the management of the territorial brand.

5.2. Practical Implications

As practical implications, the analysis model anchored on the four dimensions of analysis (characteristics, uses, functions and discourses of the territorial brand) serves as a tool for territorial management and planning for managers and decision-makers of the territory. It should be emphasized that this study presents an approach to the characteristics of the territorial brand in a dynamic way; that is, they mold themselves to the interests of the social actors in the production of the territory. Moreover, the study proposes an approach across four dimensions for the planning and management of the territorial brand: political, environmental, social and cultural articulation. However, the applications are not limited to that; as evidenced, the study proposes five functional categories for the territorial brand: identification, personification, (re)identification, global reputation and development. These categories provide insight for academics, researchers, consultants and specialists in public and private power brands.

5.3. Research Limitations

Naturally, since this research approach of mapping the territorial brand is still very recent, there are several limitations to be tackled by future studies. We point out as the main limitations that the present research only considered the branding aspect in the territorial brand analysis, leaving aside the marketing aspect. Another limitation is the fact that the websites specialized in place branding contain little content about the history of the territorial brand; only three websites were useful for the analysis of the territorial brand over time and it was necessary to complement this gap with scientific works that brought fragments of that historicity.

5.4. Final Considerations

The conclusion reveals that the territorial brand is a discursive legitimization strategy of social actors to make their ideology and beliefs dominant pre-1980s. As a cultural artifact within regional development, the territorial brand is a way for social actors to link their collective interests to the territory, creating connections and lived experiences. Nevertheless, the territorial brand is a strategic element of place branding for cities, regions and countries’ economic, social, political and cultural development.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, G.G.F.d.A. and L.C.; methodology, G.G.F.d.A. and L.C.; validation, G.G.F.d.A., P.A., L.C. and L.L.S.; formal analysis, G.G.F.d.A., L.C.; investigation, G.G.F.d.A., P.A., L.C. and L.L.S.; resources, G.G.F.d.A., P.A., L.C. and L.L.S.; data curation, G.G.F.d.A., L.C.; writing—original draft preparation, G.G.F.d.A., P.A., L.C. and L.L.S.; writing—review and editing, G.G.F.d.A., P.A., L.C. and L.L.S.; visualization, G.G.F.d.A., P.A., L.C. and L.L.S.; supervision, G.G.F.d.A.; project administration, G.G.F.d.A.; funding acquisition, G.G.F.d.A., P.A., L.C. and L.L.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This work is financed by national funds through FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, IP, within the scope of the reference project UIDB/04470/2020.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Sustainability 15 06448 g001 550
Figure 1. Design research.
Figure 1. Design research.
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Figure 2. Origins of the territorial brand for centuries.
Figure 2. Origins of the territorial brand for centuries.
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Figure 3. Crossing research variables.
Figure 3. Crossing research variables.
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Table
Table 1. Access to specialized websites.
Table 1. Access to specialized websites.
Website Link
Strategy-Boxhttps://strategy-box.com/blog/2021/5/19/como-as-marcas-surgiram-e-o-que-isso-tem-a-ver-com-branding (accessed on 3 March 2022).
Brand Targethttps://brandtarget.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/origem-e-evolucao-do-branding/ (accessed on on 3 March 2022).
Ideia de Marketinghttps://www.ideiademarketing.com.br/2017/01/18/historia-da-marca-um-fenomeno-em-evolucao/ (accessed on on 3 March 2022).
Table
Table 2. Scopus Database (1926–2021).
Table 2. Scopus Database (1926–2021).
TermsScopus (Period)Percentage
Territorial brand75 (2007–2022)0.5%
Territorial branding46 (2009–2022)0.3%
Place branding1039 (2001–2022)67%
Place brand396 (2004–2022)25%
Others(2001–2022)7.2%
Total terms1556 (2001–2022)100%
Source: Author from Scopus data survey.
Table
Table 3. Territorial brand mapping.
Table 3. Territorial brand mapping.
Origin CenturyCharacteristicsUseFunctionSpeeches
XXITerritorial brands investigated from different perspectives.Use in tourismGenerate economic developmentA feeling of global belonging
XXThe first country coined its territorial brand due to an economic crisis. Afterward, other countries also created their territorial brandsUse in tourismBe on a global map of placesFeeling of competition
Need for competition between territories on different scales (local, regional, national, etc.)
XIX The emblems called official coats of arms appeared, referring to countries, states and municipalities that do not meet the heraldic rules but keep the nomenclature coats of armsAs the official symbol of municipalities and countriesIdentify the countries, states and municipalities, regardless of the current government.Feeling of patriotism
The concern with brands led to the Trademark Law in England (1862), the Federal Trademark Law in the USA (1870) and the Law for the Protection of Trademarks in GermanyUse in product quality assuranceEnsure product qualityA feeling of ownership.
XVIIIIn Europe, heraldic coats of arms began to lose some of their importance within society, referring to the loss of recognition of families, clans, or territoriesTerritorial identification signIdentify family territories and terroirA feeling of belonging to a social group
XVIIThe first use of the term brandUse of the term brand in specialized literatureIdentify the owner of the territoriesA feeling of ownership of something, especially property (land)
XVIThe terms smart city, digital city and others appearUse of the terms smart city, digital city, sustainable city and others linked to different geographical scalesAssociate personified adjectives to territorial brands: smart, digital, sustainable and otherA feeling of closeness to the territory
XVAssociation of the term brand to cattle markingUse in cities, states and countries“Branding” cities with generic adjectivesSense of ownership
XIVFamily coats of arms or family shields, according to heraldic rulesUse in coats of arms or family shieldsIdentify the families and their propertiesFeeling of family
XIIINo evidence*********
XIICreation of the first official flag of a country (Denmark) in the worldUse of identity markers on national symbolsIdentify a nationFeeling of patriotism
XIThe brand signified the link between the manufacturer and the buyerUse of individual brands in the business senseIdentify producersSense of ownership
XStart of the CrusadesUse in battles and on propertiesIdentify clan properties and the enemies in a battleSense of ownership
VIII–IXNo evidence*********
V–VIIAssociation of the sacred with the territoriesUse in specific territoriesIdentify the territories considered “holy”Feeling of religion
Previous
to VI		Biblical narrativesDifferentiate sacred territories from profane territoriesIdentify the territories considered “holy”Feeling of closeness to the sacred
*** It means that no evidence of the use and function of the brand was found in these periods.
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Almeida, G.G.F.d.; Almeida, P.; Cardoso, L.; Lima Santos, L. Uses and Functions of the Territorial Brand over Time: Interdisciplinary Cultural-Historical Mapping. Sustainability 2023, 15, 6448. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086448

AMA Style

Almeida GGFd, Almeida P, Cardoso L, Lima Santos L. Uses and Functions of the Territorial Brand over Time: Interdisciplinary Cultural-Historical Mapping. Sustainability. 2023; 15(8):6448. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086448

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Almeida, Giovana Goretti Feijó de, Paulo Almeida, Lucília Cardoso, and Luís Lima Santos. 2023. "Uses and Functions of the Territorial Brand over Time: Interdisciplinary Cultural-Historical Mapping" Sustainability 15, no. 8: 6448. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086448

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