Place branding: revealing the neglected role of agro food products

Abstract

This study reviews the literature on the subject of place branding, in order to understand how this practice has provided a synergistic association between territorial brands and agro-food products from certain places. An empirical analysis of references resulting from a search in three databases allowed identification and selection of 261 studies, indexed in the SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), on the subject of place branding, and they were classified in seven different categories. The results reveal that the association between place branding and agro-food products can generate synergistic effects for the parties involved. This relationship is found to be dominant in previous studies analysed, identifying 19 different agro-food products which correspond to a universe of 108 brands and/or names. In addition, various gaps are identified in the literature of reference as well as possible paths to explore the applicability of the place branding concept.