A key aspect of the branding strategy for Marando Restaurant – thefamily business located in the Mykonos island of Greece – is maintaining theclose relationship between the restaurant and the local culture.

Although famous for its breathtaking scenery and its vibrantnightlife, Mykonos is a cultural ‘gem’ where local habits, customs and peoplecreate a unique feeling that is frequently unknown to the average internationalvisitor.

Rather than being a customized restaurant brand, Marando is weavedinto the Mykonian cultural fiber. In order to show the inimitable culturalsubtleties of the island, aspects of the local culture were introduced invarious objects and marketing communication material of the restaurant.

Such objects included the paper tablemats commonly used in therestaurant. Beyond the simplicity of the object/material, tablemats humblyserve as a branding medium for a restaurant.

The current tablemat serves as cultural map/calendar. Each month has a specific event that uniquely describes the culture of the island but is typically ignored by the stereotypical island tour guide.

In addition, the background image serves as a map for the Mykonos visitor to take with her/him.

Hence, the tablemat has a threefold purpose;

1. An informative calendar that is ultimately a peak into the deep cultural secrets of the island
2. A map that can assist visitors
3. And of course the traditional purpose of a common tablemat