Usually when most people thing of a brand the first thing that come to mind are the company name, logo or aspects of an advertising campaign. According to Wikipedia,

A brand was originally developed as a label of ownership: name, term, design, symbol. However, today it is what they do for people that matters much more, how they reflect and engage them, how they define their aspiration and enable them to do more. Powerful brands can drive success in competitive and financial markets, and indeed become the organization’s most valuable assets.

The New Oxford Dictionary (bundled with Apple’s OSX Leopard operating system) defines a brand as,

a type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name.

Originally, the term branding referred to the act of burning a mark into livestock however the most modern and common use refers to commercial products sold under a particular name and even that definition is taking on new meaning in terms of new media and also a new form of personal promotion called, personal branding.

Yes, It’s true that a brand can be nothing more than a label covering a product that can also be sold under a different name. I recently heard of a Spartanburg, SC factory that was shutting down. The factory was owned by the Schwan Food Company and produced both the Edwards and Mrs. Smith brand of pies according to a story by local TV station, WYFF. While both brands of pies may be going through different lines in the factory and have different ingredients I can’t help but wonder if both brands are producing the same thing except under different brand names. Needless to say I will be looking at both brands a lot closer during the next visit to the grocery store. I also checked out the web site for the Schwan Food Company and did notice the different brands owned by the same company each have their own niche but it does cause one to pause and ask what the brands really mean.

It’s my worry that all to often a brand can be nothing more than a label. It’s definitely a practice I don’t want to incorporate into my own business. It’s my firm conviction that a brand should be strictly tied to a company vision and it’s product or service. Food service is definitely a realm where the concept of branding has been abused. Because of such experiences I have grown to appreciate quality branding. A branding where the product or service, the vision and commitment of the company and finally the packaging in the form of boxes, logos, slogans, etc. is unified in purpose.

What gives a brand it’s value? The cleverness of the packaging and logo will only go so far. I don’t value Breyer’s Ice Cream because of the name. I value the product because I am promised it contains certain ingredients and leaves out other additives. Conversely, famous branding Faux Pas was when the Coca-Cola company decided to change the formula for their flag ship soda drink, Coca-Cola and introduced, New Coke. The major problem may not have even been to formula change itself but rather attempt to rebrand the product.

What experiences have you had with a particular brand? Have you treasured the brand because the product has stayed true to it’s name and promise over the years. Have you had experiences with a brand that has lost it’s value when the product or service lost value? What is your brand? Does your communications like logos, web sites, advertisements, etc. clearly communicate what the brand is all about?

This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 7:23 am and is filed under Compelling Content, Innovation, branding, marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.