What Constitutes a Brand?

For this post I thought I would share some points on what I think constitutes a brand. The word “brand” often gets thrown around without a concrete understanding of what exactly comprises a brand – all too often it’s assumed that it isn’t much more than a logo or print advertisement.

In my list below, I provide some key points on what I view the term ‘brand’ to stand for or encompass. I have also suggested what a brand isn’t (…in my opinion that is). I’d love to hear your perspective, so please do share your views or points in the comment section below!

A brand is:

1. A relationship between the brand and consumer;

2. About trust;

3. A bundle of associations which are either positive or negative;

4. A complex system comprising of key stakeholders such as staff, shareholders, customers, suppliers etc.;

5. What the consumer believes it is;

6. A vehicle for building/creating loyalty;

7. Built through delivering on a promise, consistently;

8. An entity that lives across all touch points of the business from the receptionist to the call centre to front line staff to marketing communication.

A brand isn’t:

9. Merely a logo or pay off line. Yes, the visual identity and copy forms part of the brand but so do the actions, behaviours and values underpinning the brand.

10. Exclusively built within marketing or advertising alone. Marketing and advertising are crucial to creating brand exposure, speaking to specific target markets, building relationships and so forth. What is important to understand is that every department – every staff member – contributes to be building or destroying a brand. A brand is the sum of its parts, a collective bundle of experiences, perceptions and trust built up over time.

11. An afterthought. A brand should be seen as a key investment that builds customer relationships and returns a profit. Whether one is a business, non-profit, or an individual looking to build their personal profile the brand should be a core focus area.