WHAT IS A BRAND?

Ask what a brand is and you will get as many different answers as the number of people you ask.

The original definition of course is:
A mark made by burning with a hot iron (branding iron) to designate ownership (e.g. of cattle).
Over time, brands became associated with the quality of the cattle and the value of the cattle reflected this.

Life has moved on.

The Dictionary of Business and Management defines a brand as:
"A name, sign or symbol used to identify items or services of the seller(s) and to differentiate them from goods of competitors."
But this is incomplete. It does not explain how a strong brand can become more valuable than an otherwise equivalent product or service.

Walter Landor, a leading light in the marketing world says...

"Simply put, a brand is a promise. By identifying and authenticating a product or service it delivers a pledge of satisfaction and quality."Yes, a brand is a promise of value and the symbol or logo identifies the brand - but the brand can have value in its self – beyond the product or service.

David Aaker, a leader in brand thinking gives a definition of brand equity as:
"A set of assets (or liabilities) linked to a brand's name and symbol that adds to (or subtracts from) the value provided by a product or service…”In this definition we see that a brand has value but is not always an asset, it can become a liability as well.

We define a brand simply as:
“The lasting impression and the value of the total customer experience.”

The route to a brand that has positive value must be through a holistic approach – by building quality into how you define your product or service and the customer experience.