What is Branding?

Taken from:
The Fundamentals of Branding by Melissa Davis

'The terms brand and branding are now commonly used in everyday vocabulary; yet, they are often misinterpreted. In recent years, branding has become a fundamental part of companies, organisations and even individuals...

But what exactly is a brand? It is much more than a logo or a name. A brand represents the full personality of the company and is the interface between a company and its audience. A brand may come into contact with its audience in various ways: from what, we see and hear, through to our physical experiences with the brand and general feelings or perceptions we have about a company. A brand encapsulates both the tangible and the intangible and can be applied to almost anything - a person (like David Beckham), a business (Apple, Coca Cola or Microsoft), a country, or even a nebulous idea (George Bush's War on Terror in the 1990s). The products, services and people of an organisation or entity are all part of the brand and affect the way that audiences both perceive and interact with a given brand.

To do:

- First think about the brands you like: what stands out? Why do you like those brands? Is there anything you dislike? What is distinct about the brand's personality?

- Develop a marketing proposition: what does the market look like? Who are the competitors? Where do you want your brand to sit? What are the aspirations for the brand? What kind of market research will you need? Who is the audience?

- What will be the brands key values?

- Develop the creative for the brand: what will it look like? What will it be called? How will it be packaged?

- Can you describe the brand in four or five words?

- Think about the business side of the product: how will the product be distributed? How can it stand out on the supermarket shelf?