What a Brand Is and What a Brand Isn’t

A brand is not:

  • a trade mark – these are leagal properties
  • a mission statement – this is a reminder
  • a logo or a slogan – these are your signatures
  • a product or a service – these are just the tangibles
  • advertising – they deliver your messages

A brand is:

  • Point of view – branding is a strategic point of view, not a select set of marketing activities
  • Customer value – branding is central to creating customer value, not just sound bites and images
  • Competitive advantage – branding is key tool for creating and sustaining competitive advantage
  • Engineered – brand strategies must be “engineering” into the strategic planning process
  • Alive – brands get their identity from meanings. Products and services are the blood of a brand. Your organizational culture and standards for action are the heartbeat.
  • Logic and emotion – branding is part science and part art

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