Critical Perspectives on the Use of Branding Models in Approaching Places

Abstract

This article investigates in depth the characteristics of the interdisciplinary social theory of neo-Marxism, as a moderate response with socio-economic influences on the paradigm of postmodern brand management (defined by the theory of iconic brands and cultural branding - as a model by which brands become icons through creative interaction with their environment, on the one hand, and the anti-capitalist, anti-corporate and anti-branding movement, on the other), both included in a constructivist-interpretivist paradigmatic scheme. This type of critical approach, through reinterpretations and extensions of the ideas of social philosopher Karl Marx, replaces the marketing paradigm as a model of "social engineering" in the words of Douglas B. Holt and proposes new perspectives on the concept of consumer culture in which brands are seen as forms of intangible capital, with the main demands proposed by the anti-branding movement being highlighted, as well as the criticisms brought to “consumer culture”.