It has
been contended that one ‘view of internationalisation is that based on the
transfer of

a
retail brand, with its associated image for consumers, across national borders’
(Brown

and
Burt, 1992, p.81), and yet this is an area barely touched upon in the
literature. This

view
is explored in this paper, which argues that the brand of the company is
culturally

intertwined
with the country of origin and is thus imbued with meaning. Three

propositions
are developed from the literature concerning: the identification of brand

meaning
as a basis for internationalisation; the cultural interplay between the brand
as

perceived
by the firm and that in the consumer’s mind (de Chernatonay and Dall’Olmo

Riley,
1998); and the practical and physical articulation of the brand. Propositions
are

developed
with reference to the Finnish-based fashion retailer, Marimekko Oy, using

insights
from in-depth interviews. The case shows how the brand can act as a ‘metaphor’

for
cultural consciousness, how leadership instills personality and direction into
the brand,

and
how the brand itself serves as a communication device.