Ghost signs at the mall: structuring semiotics and (formerly) branded retail space

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research from both managerial branding and social semiotics has acknowledged the construction of space for retail establishments, while the experiential turn in brand practice has resulted in the more deliberate use of space to build identifiable characteristics across outlets. As a “retail apocalypse” has been sweeping across the U.S., forcing numerous chains and malls to close, these outlets often leave a host of brand-identifying materials behind after their closing. As the materials were once used to define the space and communicate a brand identity, they continue to do so in the afterlife of stores, forcing future tenants and the surrounding community to deal with the remains from the former capitalistic enterprises. Using a reflexive, visual ethnography, this paper shows how the materials used for brand purposes outlast establishments and pose obstacles for new tenants by casting a shadow and structuring new tenants as subordinate or lesser than the original outlets. The increased use of branded spaces coupled with the extensive closure of retail outlets has made this a pressing concern as communities need to deal with the trash departing retails have left behind.