What is a brand?

A brand is what an organisation owns in the consumer’s mind. It is not a logo, an advertisement or a promotion.

Brand is what differentiates competitors in the same market. Think about two brands selling similar products or services and try to determine what sets them apart. It is not their logo or corporate colours. It is a complex make-up of product, service level, staff attitudes, internal culture, language, range of choices, free inclusions and even the types of organisations that the brand sponsors and aligns itself with.

Brand guides everything from the way your people are recruited to the type of products you offer. A brand sends a signal to the customer that they can expect you to do certain things in certain ways.

Managed well, brand is a key asset of the organisation.

This guide is designed to help everyone involved with the brand to manage it wisely. It provides information about the brand at a conceptual level and then at a more practical level. It is designed to help you understand the personality of the brand – its meaning, its essence, its values and its connection with the consumer.

While this guide does not cover every conceivable use of the brand, it will help you to understand its underlying values – values that should be applied to every interaction with every customer and potential customer.