What is a 'brand'?
We get asked this one a lot. No two answers are the same. Jerry McLaughlin, writing for Forbes, nailed it: “brand” is one of those words that is widely used but unevenly understood.
The word brand comes from the Old Norse word brandr, meaning to burn and can be traced to the 1500’s where it was common in farming to identify one’s cattle and other animals by burning an identifying mark on them.
As society developed and packaged goods entered our world, brown paper packaging received the same treatment as the animals, and companies ‘branded’ their bags so consumers would know what was in there and who provided it.
While our modern definition has expanded ironically, the main elements of symbolism, iconography and ownership, still apply today. This evolution has been subtle, and now the meaning is harder to write.
So while the Oxford Dictionary currently states that a brand is “A type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name” this definition is not complete.
Let’s start with the fact that the name, a brand name, and the brand itself are different. A brand name is just that – the name. A Logo is only that, the logo. ‘Brand’ however is much bigger than that and a helluva lot harder to concisely define.
Martin Bishop says there are many moving parts, and that’s what creates the complexity. All these parts contribute to a ‘brand’: These parts being:
The name/logo: How the brand is visually represented
The promise: the story and commitment businesses tell
The experience: What a brand's products/services deliver
The perception: What people think about a brand, influenced by their experiences and expectations.
Another way to look at this is what people with the title ‘brand manager’ are charged with: “Brand managers are concerned with creating a lasting impression among consumers and improving product sales and market share. A brand manager monitors market trends and oversees advertising and marketing activities to ensure the right message is delivered for their product or service” – Creativepool
This was a long way of getting to the key points of this post which are:
- There are no simple definitions of brand
- For organisations and individuals, managing your brand/s is important
- A ‘brand’ is made up of many moving parts – summarised into four areas, each requiring focus
- Having a strong brand is an essential part of your growth strategy
“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”
Reference: http://brandmix.blogspot.com/2008/04/evolution-of-brand-definitions.html