Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This study explores the concept of mythmaking and iconic brands in heritage tourist destinations. Because iconic brands may contain ambiguities, it is important to examine their complexities. Iconic brands also carry symbolic meanings that may vary according to consumers’ personal experiences with the brand. The study offers qualitative insights based on the personal experiences of heritage tourists at a heritage tourist destination. This study proposes a framework for mythmaking related to a heritage tourist brand that is considered to be iconic. Listening to individual stories and allowing visitors to share their own connections with the brand also contribute to the co-created heritage experience. Subsequently, symbols attached to the myth can form part of consumer beliefs and, in turn, strengthen personal identity.

Keywords

iconic brands identity tourism heritage tourist destinations mythmaking experience

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alexander

Bryce

Murdy

(2017). Delivering the past: Providing personalized ancestral tourism experiences. Journal of Travel Research, 56(4), 543–555. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287516643414

Andriotis

(2009). Sacred site experience: A phenomenological study. Annals of Tourism Research, 36(1), 64–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2008.10.003

Batey

(2016). Brand meaning: Meaning, myth and mystique in today’s brands (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315733456.

Beverland

M. B.

(2005). Crafting brand authenticity: The case of luxury wines. Journal of Management Studies, 42(5), 1003–1029. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2005.00530.x

Beverland

M. B.

(2021). Brand management: Co-creating meaningful brands. Sage. http://digital.casalini.it/9781529678956.

Beverland

M. B.

Eckhardt

G. M.

Sands

Shankar

(2021). How brands craft national identity. Journal of Consumer Research, 48(4), 586–609. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucaa062

Braun

Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Brown

McDonagh

Shultz

C. J.

(2013). Titanic: Consuming the myths and meanings of an ambiguous brand. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(4), 595–614. https://doi.org/10.1086/671474

Calvi

Hover

(2022). Storytelling for mythmaking in tourist destinations. In Lashua

Baker

Glover

T. D.

(Eds.), Leisure myths and mythmaking (pp. 92–105). Routledge.

10.

Campelo

Aitken

Thyne

Gnoth

(2014). Sense of place: The importance for destination branding. Journal of Travel Research, 53(2), 154–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287513496474

11.

Chevtaeva

Guillet

B. D.

(2023). Conceptualizing parents’ joined recollected experiences of family travel with children: Memorability, storytelling, and imagination. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 48(8), 1404–1423. https://doi.org/10.1177/10963480231211739

12.

Cooper

H. B.

Ewing

M. T.

Campbell

Treen

(2023). Hero brands, brand heroes: How R.M. Williams inspired a cult following and created a shared sense of meaning. Business Horizons, 66(3), 405–414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2023.01.006

13.

Creswell

J. W.

(2013). Qualitative inquiry & research design choosing among five approaches (3rd ed.). Sage.

14.

Fan

(2016). Branding the nation: What is being branded? Journal of Vacation Marketing, 12(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356766706056633

15.

Fournier

Alvarez

(2013). Relating badly to brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 23(2), 253–264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2013.01.004

16.

Frew

(2018). Exhibiting death and disaster: Museological perspectives. In Stone

Hartmann

Seaton

Sharpley

White

(Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of dark tourism studies (pp. 693–706). Palgrave Macmillan Publishers Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-47566-4

17.

Fusch

G. E.

Ness

L. R.

(2018). Denzin’s paradigm shift: Revisiting triangulation in qualitative research. Journal of Social Change, 10(1), 19–32.

18.

Gentile

J. S.

(2011). Prologue: Defining myth: An introduction to the special issue on storytelling and myth. Storytelling, Self, Society, 7(2), 85–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/15505340.2011.560799

19.

Guba

E. G.

Lincoln

Y. S.

(1994). Competing paradigms in qualitative research. In Denzin

N. K.

Lincoln

Y. S.

(Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (Vol. 2, pp. 105–117). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

20.

Hall

Basarin

V. J.

Lockstone-Binney

(2010). An empirical analysis of attendance at a commemorative event: ANZAC day at Gallipoli. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 29(2), 245–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2009.10.012

21.

Hall

Basarin

V. J.

Lockstone-Binney

(2011). Pre-and posttrip factors influencing the visitor experience at a battlefield commemorative event: Gallipoli, a case study. Tourism Analysis, 16(4), 419–429. https://doi.org/10.3727/108354211X13149079788891

22.

Heehs

(1994). Myth, history, and theory. History and Theory, 33(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.2307/2505649

23.

Holt

D. B.

(2004). How brands become icons: The principles of cultural branding. Harvard Business Press.

24.

Holt

D. B.

(2006). Jack Daniel’s America: Iconic brands as ideological parasites and proselytizers. Journal of Consumer Culture, 6(3), 355–377. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469540506068683

25.

Holt

(2010). Using the telephone for narrative interviewing: A research note. Qualitative Research, 10(1), 113–121.

26.

Hyde

K. F.

Harman

(2011). Motives for a secular pilgrimage to the Gallipoli battlefields. Tourism Management, 32(6), 1343–1351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2011.01.008

27.

Kennell

J. S.

(2024). More than a feeling: Storytelling, memory and national myths at dark events. Event Management, 28(4), 655–659. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599524x17067412396192

28.

Kirillova

Lehto

Cai

(2017). What triggers transformative tourism experiences? Tourism Recreation Research, 42(4), 498–511. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2017.1342349

29.

Kotler

Keller

K. L.

(2016). Marketing management (15th global ed.). Pearson.

30.

Lagos

Harris

(2012, May 31–June 2). Visitation to Gallipoli: Website language patterns and their effectiveness in forming travellers’ motivation. Paper presented at the 2nd Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Marketing and Management, Corfu.

31.

Magee

Gilmore

(2015). Heritage site management: From dark tourism to transformative service experience. The Service Industries Journal, 35(15–16), 898–917. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2015.1090980

32.

Masse

W. B.

Barber

E. W.

Piccardi

Barber

P. T.

(2007). Exploring the nature of myth and its role in science. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 273(1), 9–28. https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2007.273.01.02

33.

McKercher

P. S. Y.

du Cros

(2005). Relationship between tourism and cultural heritage management: Evidence from Hong Kong. Tourism Management, 26(4), 539–548. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2004.02.018

34.

Mei

X. Y.

Hågensen

A.-M. S.

Kristiansen

H. S.

(2018). Storytelling through experiencescape: Creating unique stories and extraordinary experiences in farm tourism. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 20(1), 93–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358418813410

35.

Minkiewicz

Evans

Bridson

(2014). How do consumers co-create their experiences? An exploration in the heritage sector. Journal of Marketing Management, 30(1–2), 30–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2013.800899

36.

Moreira

A. C.

Costa

R. A. D.

de Sousa

M. J. N.

(2024). Is a good story enough? A critical analysis of storyteller roles in tourism. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 49(4), 688–704. https://doi.org/10.1177/10963480241251450

37.

Mossberg

(2008). Extraordinary experiences through storytelling. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 8(3), 195–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250802532443

38.

Nunn

P. D.

(2003). Fished up or thrown down: The geography of Pacific Island origin myths. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 93(2), 350–364. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8306.9302006

39.

Palmer

(1999). Tourism and the symbols of identity. Tourism Management, 20(3), 313–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0261-5177(98)00120-4

40.

Park

H. Y.

(2010). Heritage tourism: Emotional journeys into nationhood. Annals of Tourism Research, 37(1), 116–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2009.08.001

41.

Peirce

Ritchie

B. W.

(2007). National capital branding: A comparative case study of Canberra, Australia and Wellington, New Zealand. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 22(3–4), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.1300/J073v22n03_06

42.

Pernecky

Jamal

(2010). (Hermeneutic) phenomenology in tourism studies. Annals of Tourism Research, 37(4), 1055–1075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2010.04.002

43.

Prayag

Alrawadieh

(2021). Motivation, emotion and world heritage status in discerning the heritage tourists: A segmentation perspective. Tourism Management Perspectives, 40, Article 100906. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100906

44.

Rittichainuwat

Laws

Scott

Rattanaphinanchai

(2018). Authenticity in screen tourism: Significance of real and substituted screen locations. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 42(8), 1274–1294. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348017736568

45.

Scarpaci

J. L.

Coupey

Reed

S. D.

(2018). Artists as cultural icons: The icon myth transfer effect as a heuristic for cultural branding. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 27(3), 320–333. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-02-2017-1416

46.

Schroeder

Borgerson

(2015). A brand culture approach to Chinese cultural heritage brands. Journal of Brand Management, 22, 261–279. https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2015.12

47.

Sigala

Steriopoulos

(2021). Does emotional engagement matter in dark tourism? Implications drawn from a reflective approach. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 16(4), 412–432. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2020.1851697

48.

Slade

(2003). Gallipoli thanatourism: The meaning of Anzac. Annals of Tourism Research, 30(4), 779–794. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(03)00025-2

49.

K. K. F.

King

Sparks

(2012). Customer engagement with tourism brands. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 38(3), 304–329. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348012451456

50.

Steriopoulos

(2020). A model of transformative brand experience for pilgrimage tourism [Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Deakin University, Melbourne]. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/DRO/DU:23788083.v1

51.

Steriopoulos

Hall

Lockstone-Binney

Steel

Wong

(2024). Transformative brand experiences and consumer-based brand equity in heritage tourism: The role of authenticity and motives. Journal of Vacation Marketing. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/13567667241264840

52.

Steriopoulos

Khoo

Wong

Hall

Steel

(2023). Heritage tourism brand experiences: The influence of emotions and emotional engagement. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 30(3), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356766723115293

53.

Tafesse

(2016). Conceptualization of brand experience in an event marketing context. Journal of Promotion Management, 22(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2015.1107007

54.

Tait

(2012). The mythic status brand model: Blending brain science and mythology to create a new brand strategy tool. Journal of Brand Strategy, 1(4), 377–388. https://doi.org/10.69554/DQVE2702

55.

Tierney

K. D.

Karpen

I. O.

Westberg

(2016). Brand meaning cocreation: Toward a conceptualization and research implications. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 26(6), 911–932. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-06-2015-0137

56.

Tracy

S. J.

(2010). Qualitative quality: Eight “Big-Tent” criteria for excellent qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(10), 837–851. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410383121

57.

Vagle

M. D.

(2018). Crafting phenomenological research (2nd ed.). Routledge.

58.

Van Manen

(2014). Phenomenology of practice: Meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003228073

59.

Vespestad

M. K.

Hansen

O. B.

(2020). Shaping climbers’ experiencescapes: The influence of history on the climbing experience. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 44(1), 109–133. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348019883685

60.

Weidenfeld

(2010). Iconicity and ‘flagshipness’ of tourist attractions. Annals of Tourism Research, 37(3), 851–854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2010.02.007

61.

Westervelt

W. D.

(2011). Hawaiian legends of ghosts and ghost-gods. Tuttle Publishing.

62.

Wilson

(2012). What can phenomenology offer the consumer? Marketing research as philosophical, method conceptual. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 15(3), 230–241. https://doi.org/10.1108/13522751211231969

Tourists’ Personal Identity Connections: How Myths Shape Iconic Brands at Key Heritage Sites

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References