ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book analyses the brand Eataly, Colombino draws on Jon Goss’ notable metaphor of the “magic of the mall” to draw attention to how brands may be seen as entities that ‘magically’ enchant customer to shop ‘beyond reason’. It explores how nation branding may occur via the use of postal stamps, displaying and circulating symbolic sites, monuments and landscapes. The book discusses an analytical framework for exploring brands from a geographical perspective, starting with an account of the geographies of the ‘American Apparel’ fashion brand. It presents the metaphor of the “ghost” to conceptualise city branding as a “ghostly play”, dealing with the interplay between the visible and invisible. The book discusses the coaction and overlapping of nation branding and tourism in many ways. It addresses how attempts at reputation management, which build on institutional networks and promotional practices, have older origins.