Marketplace icons and iconic brands: exploring place in the myth-making process

Purpose – How does the relationship among local brands, regional brands and iconic products contribute to the collective myth-making process? This paper aims to explore the dynamic relationship among local brands, place brands and iconic products. Specifically, it examines how local producers elevate their brands to iconic status in relation to a regional brand and its iconic product. In doing so, the study extends the current debate on cultural branding, particularly the role of collective myth-making in transforming brands into icons on local, national and global scales. Design/methodology/approach – The objective of our research is to offer cultural understanding of the place and its role in the rise of an iconic brand. To this aim, we adopted a dialectical approach to investigate the interrelation of the Gragnano place of pasta and the brand Garofalo. Findings – The study demonstrates how places and their heritage serve as powerful resources for elevating local brands to an iconic status. In turn, these local brands play a crucial role in enhancing the iconicity of their regional counterparts. This dynamic interplay is particularly evident when the product itself carries significant cultural meanings, resonating not only at the regional and national levels but also on a global scale. Originality/value – The study unveils the dynamic interplay between places, iconic products and local brands, and how it contributes to the collective myth-making process. In doing so, the study puts into conversation the literature on marketplace icons and iconic brands.