The Misalignment Between the Iconic Brand and the Target. Quiksilver as a Case Study in the Spanish Surf Market

This article focuses on the Quiksilver surf brand to illustrate the process of its de-iconization in the Spanish market. Based on the theoretical framework of cultural branding through discourse genealogy, which includes an analysis of media representation and a study of the consumer perspective, this research explains how the brand can lose the iconic status it has achieved through a series of management decisions that directly affect its core audience. The findings suggest that the brand’s initial success at the expense of the commodification of the cultural capital of consumers led to a loss of authenticity that precipitated its economic and iconic decline.