The Marketing Fresh Peel - Latest Comments in What is a Brand?

Re: What is a Brand?

Aithene / Chris Wilson — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:06:28 -0000

Chris,

The biggest distinction a brand has is that it is owned by everyone outside of the thing being branded. It is the full mental and emotional weight that an observer carries in relation to the 'branded'.

The biggest mistake any company, any entity, any person can make in dealing with their own brand is to believe that they own their own brand.

We can do things to promote a certain view of ourselves, such as tell stories, create experiences and provide examples. We can decide how it is we WISH to be branded, and set out goals and plans to try to create that branding, but in the end, our brand is held by those outside ourselves.

If it were any other way, we could control exactly how other people see us, and others could never influence our brand with their own reviews, criticisms, praise, or opinions.

The strongest brands are attributed to those who authentically try to live the story they tell about themselves, and those around them see evidence that the stories are truthful, believe it, and pass it on to others. I.e., Apple, Inc.

If you can't live up to your own story, then you've lost all influence over your brand, and the world around you will brand you based on what they see and how they interpret it. I.e., Microsoft.

If you can't live your own story, you deserve whatever brand people give you. But if you can live your own story, it will eventually weather any ridicule, pressure, criticisms and slander thrown at you and people will recognize it.

(the other) Chris Wilson

Re: What is a Brand?

Holycow — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:39:40 -0000

Hi all - great post. My definition:

'A brand is the halo of associations that illuminates a product or service'

Re: What is a Brand?

Tom Asacker — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 12:30:26 -0000

Great point Bill. And, in fact, that "feeling" in my definition is always self-reflective. If you've read my blog and any of my books, you'll find one sentiment repeated over and over again:

It doesn't matter what people think about you or your brand. What matters is how you make them feel about themselves and their decisions in your presence.

The good news to me is that none of the quoted authors said that a brand is a promise. Perhaps we are finally making some progress. :)

Re: What is a Brand?

Bill Gammell — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:49:35 -0000

Chris,

I tend to side with Tom's definition of a brand being an expectation. But I think it is not only the expectation of the consumer about the product or service, but I also believe that it is the expectation she places on herself.

Take the iPod. The brand is not only the expectation of the consumer of it being a stylish, sleek and user friendly product, but additionally the consumer expects to something of herself from using her iPod - stylishness or being part of the "in" crowd or whatever.

Re: What is a Brand?

Chris Wilson — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:06:48 -0000

Marcel LeBrun,

I like your injection of "conversations" and after taking a look at your blog, I can see where this thinking stems from.

Conversation is quickly becoming a powerful touchpoint for brands. Or really, I should say, conversation is finally getting the credit it deserves for the power it has on brands.

But, like you noted, conversations are usually the by product of interactions with the brand. It just goes to show how important every touchpoint is, and how they are inner woven together.

Robert John Ed,

Amen. I would even take that a little bit farther and say that everyone inside an organization should have an understanding of what a brand is, so that they can clearly see how their actions impact the brand, and how the brand idea should drive the decisions they make.

Mat,

I like your inclusion of stakeholders (although I don't really prefer the word either).

I like it because you make a good point, that a brand doesn't only communicate to the consumer. A brand should also be simple and understood by everyone inside an organization, for they too communicate what the brand is.

Re: What is a Brand?

Mat — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:22:02 -0000

I like your definition very much. Really punchy and to the point.

I have always believed that a brand is a perception thatâ€™s in the mind of your â€œstakeholdersâ€ (I hate that word, but Iâ€™m talking about customers, prospective customers, partners, employees and so on). Brand building is what you do to influence that perception. Great brand builders influence greatly, but invisibly.

Re: What is a Brand?

Robert John Ed — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:21:56 -0000

I think the big problem here is defining our marketing terms...though I certainly understand the goal of it.

A brand is a signifier of a company and the characteristics thereof. It's how we remember companies that otherwise we'd forget, and it's incredibly powerful. Positive or negative, it's powerful. The human mind can only recall so much, and just as we recall the color red with stop while on the road, we remember Coca-cola imagery during hot summer days and polar bear/santa winters. These brands make it a point to connote a positive vibe, and the real winners become lifelong companions because they were there with us during the nostalgia.

Long story short, branding is a phenomenon all marketers/advertisers/designers should understand and understand well.

Re: What is a Brand?

Marcel LeBrun — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:02:02 -0000

My definition: "A brand is now the sum of conversations about your product or company."

I like your definition and the concept of a mental shortcut. My definition reflects the fact that these mental shortcuts are influenced by the overall conversation taking place about your brand or product. Of course, these conversations are also influenced by people's experience with the brand, but if you want to measure your brand, you need to track the conversations about it - because THAT is the brand.