Marca lugar e identidade cultural na comunicação de marca da Dengo Chocolates: atravessamentos com o território sul da Bahia

Abstract

This study seeks to explore how contemporary brands are consolidated as cultural and identity symbols in today’s society, using the theoretical framework of place branding as developed by the LOGOS research group at the School of Communication of UFBA. The institutional communication of Dengo Chocolates was selected as the object of analysis, with a focus on its intersections with the territorial branding of southern Bahia, a region historically shaped by cocoa production. The research draws on Andrea Semprini’s (2010) concept of the symbolic universe of brands, incorporates the studies on place brand and place branding by Pablo Minõ (2022) and Giovana Almeida (2018), and engages with Stuart Hall’s (1997) cultural studies to discuss identity and representation. By combining these perspectives, the study aims to understand how Dengo’s brand narrative engages with the territorial identity of southern Bahia and reflecting on issues related to the (in)visibility of cultural identity in/of the territory.