‘Brand’ New Thoughts

So what is a brand, and why is it important?

The Oxford Dictionary, 1602, describes a ‘brand’ as; “To burn with a hot iron, whether for marking or cauterising. To mark indelibly as a proof of ownership, a sign of quality”

But in today’s world a brand isn’t just the trademark, name and logo. It isn’t just the tag line and messages, or the intangible (soft) benefits of using the product or service. Nor is it just a relationship between the customer and the product, service or company, or just something that can be unilaterally controlled and manipulated by its owner.

Brands are omnipresent. They no longer adhere to traditional boundaries. Their definitions extend to activities that encompass; artists/bands (dead or alive), sports personalities/teams/clubs, TV channels/programmes, fictional characters, Political parties, and even countries.

Brands come as sounds (Intel). A brand can be a colour; engagement rings feel so much more special if they come in a duck egg blue box (Tiffany & Co). They can be a taste; orange champagne tastes more fun (Veuve Clicquot). A brand can be a smell (Lush). And even taste alone can define a brand (Marmite).

So a brand must be…

• A fusion of the emotional and functional components of a product or a service;
• A promise and an expression of potential benefits; both tangible and intangible;
• A distillation of the beliefs and values of an organisation;
• The external expression of a company’s internal (shared) values;
• A relationship that creates and secures future earnings by growing customer preference and loyalty;
• Open to personal interpretation, not an objective fact – it is made up of a million or more individual and subjective assessments.

But companies can't own their brand can they? Suely their consumer do! A brand is the things people say about it when they are not there.

So what do brands offer consumers? Well, brands are badges of authenticity. They promise performance, and provide reassurance. Brands transform the experience, and help us organise our lives.

Strong brands...

• Capture the essence of what an organisation stands for;
• Provide a sustainable competitive advantage;
• Promise and deliver a unique and valued experience;
• Strengthen image, profile and reputation;
• Create value and help drive successful results;
• Can accelerate cash flow;
• Attract the best talent and retain them;
• Attract better suppliers and trading terms;
• Can branch out;
• Get to charge a premium for the same product/service;
• Buy the company time – consumers will forgive the occasional lapse;
• Engender trust;
• But most importantly they drive value for their companies.

A brand is both a promise and a verification, and behind every great brand is a great idea that;

• Is inspirational and aspirational;
• Defines the competitive frame of tomorrow;
• Captures what makes the offering unique.

It is what is on the inside that really counts. Think of a brand as an iceberg; the 10% above the water is what we see and experience – the name, the advertising, the logo, the products and services. But it’s the 90% below the water (the values, the communications and relationships, the management, policies and processes, the quality, knowledge, and technology) is what needs to happen in order to support that experience.

So what defines a brand? Everything we do defines a brand.