The brand as a place. For a model interpreting identity in the digital age

What if the brand is a place? In specialist literature, the brand interacts through a series of tangible and intangible touchpoints with its interlocutors. When we buy items, use services, or come into contact with any expression of a brand, we come into contact with its being. Whether these are points of sale, events, websites, packaging and products, touchpoints help the interlocutor enter the world of the brand and experience it. These elements play an essential role in building a long-term engagement with it. However, in an ever-changing environment where brands must be flexible and agile to remain market relevant, they must also be able to adapt their behaviours and modulate their identity and expressions based on conditions and context. It is, therefore, necessary to underline the transition from touchpoints to touchplaces in the system of relations between the brand and the audience. The concept of place, as that of the brand, contemplates spirit, personality, and character. Like each place, each brand has its own particular identity and moral character, making both emotional and relational hubs. An interpretation model will allow highlighting this evolution from touchpoints to touchplaces and how these places of exchange and meeting are key elements in offering relevant experiences to the interlocutors.