Communication and cultural representation of places: Destination brand analysis of the most visited states in the USA

Manuel Pinto Grunfeld; William Cantú

doi:10.25145/j.pasos.2026.24.057

Autores/as

Manuel Pinto Grunfeld CEAUL/ULICES, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0162-8866
William Cantú CEAUL/ULICES, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4079-9884

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25145/j.pasos.2026.24.057

Palabras clave:

Branding cultural, Representación cultural, Comunicación turística, Marcas de destino, Estados Unidos, Identidad territorial, Imaginarios turísticos

Resumen

Este artículo analiza cómo las marcas de destino construyen representaciones culturales en las plataformas turísticas oficiales de los estados más visitados de EE. UU. —Nueva York, Florida y California—. A partir del Prisma de Identidad de Marca de Jean-Noël Kapferer y la teoría de la representación de Stuart Hall, el estudio examina cómo el branding opera como una herramienta discursiva y simbólica para la construcción de la identidad territorial. Mediante un análisis comparativo de los elementos de marca y las estrategias comunicativas presentes en los sitios web oficiales, se identifican los valores dominantes, los códigos visuales y las narrativas identitarias que configuran la imagen percibida de cada lugar. Los hallazgos revelan enfoques diferenciados en cuanto al compromiso emocional, la profundidad cultural y el discurso promocional, evidenciando que las marcas de destino operan como artefactos culturales que median la relación entre lugar, cultura y consumidor. El artículo contribuye así a los debates críticos sobre el branding cultural, los imaginarios turísticos y el poder simbólico de la comunicación subnacional, destacando el modo en que la representación visual de Estados Unidos se articula a través de las marcas analizadas.

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16%

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No

32%

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N/D

11%

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54%

33%

Días para la publicación

211

145

Indexado en

DOAJ
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Editor y equipo editorial: Perfiles
Sociedad académica: PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural
Editorial: Instituto Universitario de Investigación Social y Turismo. Universidad de La Laguna (España) - Instituto Universitario da Maia ISMAI (Portugal)

Biografía del autor/a

Manuel Pinto Grunfeld, CEAUL/ULICES, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon

Manuel Pinto Grunfeld holds a PhD in Culture Studies from the University of Lisbon (Lisbon, Portugal), a Master’s degree in Strategic Communication and Branding (Santiago, Chile), and a degree in Graphic Design (Santiago, Chile). He is a lecturer and researcher at the Centre for English Studies (ULICES/CEAUL), within the group English Studies: Culture (RG2), and a member of the Trends and Culture Management Lab. His research explores the intersections of visual communication, strategic communication, and culture with particular attention to destination branding, cultural trends, and visual narratives. He has developed semiotic and cultural methodologies for analysing tourism communication, advertisements, and consumer-generated content on digital platforms. His contributions include theoretical articulations between culture and destination branding, proposals for methodological frameworks to evaluate tourists’ perceptions, and analyses of how cultural and strategic insights can be integrated into branding practices. Earlier work examined the semiotic-discursive reconstruction of the place brands of Chile and Portugal and the role of cultural icons in shaping collective identity. His current research agenda focuses on how digital environments mediate tourists’ experiences of destinations and how cultural analysis can support the design of innovative communication strategies.

William Cantú, CEAUL/ULICES, School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon

William Cantú holds a PhD and a Post-Doctorate in Culture Studies from the University of Lisbon, where he also earned a Master’s degree in Design and Visual Culture. He is an invited Assistant Professor at the School of Education and Social Sciences of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria, an integrated researcher at the University of Lisbon Centre for English Studies (ULICES/CEAUL), and Principal Investigator of the Laboratory of Trends and Cultural Management. He is also an assistant researcher at CI&DEI – Centre for Studies in Education and Innovation (Education for Entrepreneurship research line). His research focuses on sociocultural trend studies, semiotics, and cultural management, with particular attention to branding, consumption, and communication. He has published on methodological frameworks such as coolhunting, trend archaeology, and bibliometric analysis, applying them to areas including tourism branding, cultural participation, creative industries, and sustainable materials in design. His recent contributions explore tourists’ perceptions of destination brands on digital platforms, the articulation between strategy, culture, and trend analysis, and the role of subcultures and artistic practices in shaping emerging sociocultural changes. Cantú’s work combines theoretical and applied perspectives, bridging design, branding, and communication with cultural studies, and advancing methodologies for the interpretation of contemporary cultural dynamics.

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