The word “brand”, when used as a noun, can refer to a company name, a product name, or a unique identifier such as a logo or trademark. In a time before fences were used in ranching to keep one’s cattle separate from other people’s cattle, ranch owners branded, or marked, their cattle so they could later identify their herd as their own.
Do you know the concept of branding also developed through the practices of craftsmen who wanted to place a mark or identifier on their work without detracting from the beauty of the piece? These craftsmen used their initials, a symbol, or another unique mark to identify their work and they usually put these marks in a low visibility place on the product.
Today’s modern concept of branding grew out of the consumer packaged goods industry and the process of branding has come to include much, much more than just creating a way to identify a product or company.
So we can say that branding today is used to create emotional attachment to products and companies. Branding efforts create a feeling of involvement, a sense of higher quality, and an aura of intangible qualities that surround the brand name, mark, or symbol.
So what exactly is the definition of “brand”? Let’s cover some definitions first before we get too far into the branding process. Why do we, as consumers, feel loyal to such brands that the mere sight of their logo has us reaching into our pockets to buy their products?
Keller’s Definition
A product, but one that adds other dimensions that differentiate it in some way from other products designed to satisfy the same need.
- Rational and tangible
- Symbolic, emotional and intangible
The psychological response to a brand can be as important as the physiological response.
Product = Commodity. A product is a produced item always possessing these characteristics –
- Tangibility
- Attributes and Features
Brand = “Mind Set”
The sum of all communications and experiences received by the consumer and customer resulting in a distinctive image in their “mind set” based on perceived emotional and functional benefits
So we can say in short –
Brand – is a name, term, sign, symbol, design, or some combination that identifies the products of a firm
