Territorial Brand Strategies in the Representation and Reputation of territories Within the Scope of Regional Development

Abstract

Brands are not a new phenomenon, but the use of marketing strategies in the promotion of territorial brands, involvement in planning and urban-territorial development processes is recent. The objective is to understand the strategies of the Brazilian territorial brands in the representation and reputation of the territories within the scope of regional development. The methodology includes applied and qualitative research, emphasizing the study of multiple cases in two Brazilian cities: Porto Alegre and Pelotas. The results indicated that there are power relations contained in the territorial brands and links with the representation and reputation of the territories, generating a new market, the symbolic-territorial market. Brands emerge from a web of relationships that make territories more competitive, however, social actors have demonstrated misunderstandings about the theoretical concept and empirical use of these brands in Brazilian reality. The conclusion reiterates that there are relations between brands and territories, influencing territorial-regional dynamics and promoting socio-territorial transformations