How do you define‘brand?’
If you look up the word ‘brand’ today, you’ll find 100’s of varying definitions.
Here are a few:
A person’s perception of a product, service, experience, or organisation.
– The Dictionary of Brand
The intangible sum of a product’s attributes.
– David (The king of advertising) Ogilvy
Your brand isn’t what you say it is. It’s what they say it is.
– Marty Neumeier
To the non initiated, this may seem somewhat confusing, especially when seasoned brand specialists fail to agree on a single definition. The question is, should they?
Given the size and diversity of our global markets, our cultural differences and the need for brands to differentiate, surely it’s impossible for one definition to serve all purposes?
So what makes defining ‘brand’ so difficult?
We believe there are a number of contributing factors at play:
Brands mean different things, to different people, at different times.
Brands are susceptible to change.
Brands are about relationships and emotions, both of which can be complicated.
Well-known brands are often used to define what ‘brand’ means.
Finding a shared and mutual understanding of ‘brand’ will always be challenging.
We avoid trying to define brands collectively, even if they operate in the same markets or are direct competitors of each other. Instead we look to define them in a singular manor. Creating a unique definition for a brand allows it to be recognised and understood in the same way a person would be. As an individual, with their own personality traits and character flaws.
Looking at a brand in this way, enables us to uncover unique insights that apply to that brand alone. These are built from understanding all the factors that influence and affect it. From market conditions and competitors through to its people and audiences.
When armed with this knowledge a brand can steer and influence these external and internal factors back. Using this power in positive ways to affect the brand’s perception or the emotional response elicited when people recall or interact with it.
The term ‘brand’ was first used more than a century ago as a way for ranchers to identify their livestock.