Three Definitions of Brand
August 4, 2007 by Susan Gunelius
Filed under Marketing
Branding is a broad marketing term, which has three distinct definitions. It’s important that we understand which “brand” we’re talking about in order to market each effectively.
Following are the three most common definitions:
1. Brand: The name of a product or service
Examples:
- May I have a Kleenex?
- My BMW is parked outside.
- Is that your iPhone?
2. Brand: Intellectual property belonging to a business.
Examples:
- Logo
- Slogan or tagline
- Package design
- Other trademarks
3. Brand: A public image which contains some form of value (i.e., brand equity).
Examples:
- Intangible asset similar to your reputation:
- Generated through a consistent message of that reputation communicated through advertising, customer service, community relations, consumer experience/word-of-mouth, etc.,
- And thereby creating awareness of that reputation among consumers.
Remember, there is a lot more to branding than a product name. When developing your brand, keep all definitions in mind and address them all.
Can you think of other brand definitions or distinctions?
Read more on this subject from Brandcurve:
When I think of a brand, I think of the feelings and emotions that people attach to it. Brands are emotional not rational.
Absolutely, Matt. That ties in perfectly with definition #3 and further explains why it’s so important to develop your brand as an intangible asset not just intellectual property or a name.
Makes me think of what I learnt in my intro to marketing class, on brand positioning. That was some fascinating stuff, and I think you’ve covered it broadly in your own terms. I’d like to see some follow up discussing free ways to develop your brand positioning.
My definition for a brand could be an amendment to #3 — a brand is the human attributes of a non-human entity such as a corporation or product. We need this metaphor so that we, as humans, can make a connection.
If you think about it, you can’t literally trust a bottle of laundry detergent, or be faithful to a can of soda — those are very human emotions and therefore you need a brand as a stand-in.
I’ll definitely have to put together a post about brand positioning. Thanks for suggesting the topic, Gab.
I like the idea of a brand as a metaphor so we can make a connection to it. Thanks for adding that, Prescott!
A brand is just like the name of a person. When we remember the name, we’ll remember the behavior of that person.