Defining Branding in Eight Words

What really is branding?

If you do a quick search on Google, type in “branding”, you will find at least nine different definitions from the first page alone.?

One says it’s the process of giving meaning to a specific company or product or service.

Another says it’s the marketing practice of actively shaping your brand.?

There is also one that explains branding as the?process of researching, developing, and applying a distinctive feature or set of features to your organization.

While this may cover a truth about branding in one way or another, I believe that it doesn’t cover the core essence of what branding truly is. It also doesn’t make it easy to understand.?

So how do we really define branding??

Let me give you my 8-word definition. Branding to me is-?

Your customers’ perceptions and emotions towards your business.?

Everything that you do in your business must be geared towards building what you want your customers to think and feel about your product or service.?

For example, Starbucks has been clear about its brand vision for the past several decades. It has been successfully building itself as a coffee brand that is equated to status symbol, great customer service, welcoming store ambience, and an inviting place where fresh coffee aroma and smiling faces are found.?

People can buy better and cheaper coffee elsewhere, right? But why do they go to Starbucks to buy a $3 to 4$ cup of coffee??

It’s because of how the brand makes them feel. It’s because of the thoughts that they already have and believe about Starbucks.?

When they go there, it makes them feel great. It gives them a sense of status and a sense of place. It’s where the barista calls them by their first names and promises to make their drink perfect as they want it. And that is a result of consistent and intentional branding.?

Another coffee brand but with an entirely different branding is Nescafe.?

It is affordable but people don’t perceive it as cheap. Instead, its intended customers see it as their daily companion. It makes people feel that each morning is a chance for them to live a better life, that their hard work is recognized. It tells a meaningful story of being able to wake up every day to pursue your dreams and fulfill your purpose.??

Nescafe’s branding positions them to be more than just an instant coffee. It’s your everyday morning drink that makes you feel energized, positive, and believe that no matter how simple your life may be, you have the power to live a purposeful life.?

Obviously, defining branding in just 8-words is not to say that branding is simple. In fact, branding is really complex because it is multi-faceted. It is both an art and a science. It requires long-term thinking. It needs a strategy and a framework. I believe that as a brand strategist, part of my duty is to make it easier for business owners to understand what branding really is.

For business owners and marketing practitioners, it is your duty to understand what branding is because it helps you convey what your product or service really stands for. It is your duty to build what you want your customers to think and feel about your brand.

Remember, branding is everything that you do in your business that influences how people will perceive your brand, what it will make them feel, and how it can be successful over the long-term.??

So next time someone asks you, what branding is, I hope you tell them that its definition is really just eight words and I hope these eight words help you build better and more effective and meaningful brands.??

Thank you for reading and I hope this was worth your while.?

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