Group Discussion: What is a Brand?
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I believe that a brand is what people think of when they think of you, your business or your website. It’s not necessarily just a logo or a slogan.
It’s whatever comes to the minds of the people because that is a direct reflection of what you are promoting. Not necessarily what you are trying to promote or what you think you are promoting.
What others think about you is ultimately what others are getting from your marketing.
Your Brand is What People Think of You
It’s like the name brand cereal versus the generic. Both have logos, maskots, etc. But the name brand has taken the time with commercials and advertising to create a perception that their product is better. Often times those perceptions are true. Their products usually are better.
If you have what you believe to be an awesome logo yet nobody ever thinks of you when they need something in your niche, then you don’t actually have a brand…you simply have a picture at the top of your site. If people think of you and take action then you have a brand.
Brand marketing is everything if it can be done to actually drive people to action.
Group Reflection
This concept is all about the group reflection. I want to hear your opinions about branding. I want to know what you think so here’s a few questions to get the discussion started.
- What exactly is a brand? What all does it entail?
- What brands can you think of that you prefer to buy over their competitors?
- What is it about those type of brands that make them better in your mind?
- What does it take to create an image in people’s minds that drives them to take action?
Eric said:
You’ve got quite a post here Nick.
A brand is an idea that comes to mind when you think of a business or person in particular that has done something extra to bring meaning to them specifically.
I don’t buy much but one thing I do buy is a lot of Dr. Pepper. There’s also Dr. Thunder which is just a different name. A bit cheaper but ultimately it’s the same stuff.
As I said about them both being pretty equal… The only difference to me is the price.
I think it depends on the person but basically something they really want that solves a problem or benefits them huge in some way. Something that will help them for the long hall or will just be fun to have.
Everyone’s different and creating a brand will help you go far as more people will rely on you when they think of that particular niche.
Excellent article Nick.
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Tom | Build That List said:
One example of fantastic branding is ‘apple’ they have done an amazing job of branding themselves as a young, cutting edge, cool company. And I would have to say that they would probably have one of the most valuable brands in the world.
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Jason Pereira said:
Agree with you that a brand is what people think of your product. For example, when you think McDonalds, you not just think of the M but also of quickly delivered food, oversalted (but very tasty) fries and so on.
The trick is building your brand so that customers connect with you and you have an almost cult following. I prefer buying from brands that are perceived to be friendly, innovative and are high quality, something that few are.
The best part about the whole brand thing is that customers may choose you over competitors (often, even) just because they like the brand image you’ve built, not even due to the quality of your product or whatever.
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Adrienne said:
Marketing makes a brand.
I don’t like Coke or Pepsi but if were to buy one it would be Coke because I associate it with happiness because of the family friendly commercial they use. I associate Pepsi with Britney Spears. That doesn’t drive me to buy it.
Take Toyota. They spent years building a brand that says “reliable”. People bought into the perception that foreign cars being better built than American cars.
Even though they took a huge hit to their brand, due to years of marketing many people will still buy Toyota’s because they still believe in the marketing tactics Toyota used.
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Jen said:
Interesting post and this has given me some food for thought in relation to my own business and blog and how people perceive that. Thanks Nicholas.
Anne Moss said:
I think it goes back to the source of the metaphor. The consumers (us) are like cattle. The companies wish to put their mark on us in a way that will never fade out of our minds. Many methods for that, but in the end, what got branded into your psyche is what you’ll remember when you’re shopping.
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Thomas McGee said:
Good article and it’s true that a brand is ultimately what people think of you.
In essence, a brand is the very heart of an organization. When many people think of a brand, or they want branding for their business, they think of a logo, some colors, and possibly some advertising.
The fact is however, that branding goes much further. A brand is the very core of your business or organization, from it’s appearance on print and web, to it’s personality and clientele. Every time someone speaks to you on the phone, an impression of your organization is being made, thus branding is in the making.
Notation Group provides some good marketing tips and services for anyone wanting to learn more about branding.
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Sanford said:
WOW! It would take a whole post to answer each of these questions.
Short answers:
1. A quality of unique-ness; being different somehow from your competition.
2 & 3. I will buy generic when it’s an option, local when possible. That said, I buy M&M’s because it’s a fun food and their commecials are fun. I stopped eating at McD’s after too many digestive problems and their commercials don’t relate to me. And, though I know Fords are generally good cars, I’ld rather own a Chevy or Dodge.
4. Trust, community involvement, a style appropriate to product function, and probably most important, getting customers emotionally involved.
Off to build a new website now. Hope to see the follow-up on this.
Dennis Edell said:
Every once in a while an article comes along that really makes you think outside the box, thanks Nicolas.
The main purpose of my current blog move is for branding purposes, but now I really think I need to so something with my logo..not change it, persey, but maybe add to it.
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Aminul Islam Sajib said:
I believe a brand may not have a slogan but must have a unique logo that comes up on people’s mind when they think of you.
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Mike Stenger said:
To me, a brand is something that is not recognized visually but mentally. Like you not only recognize who or what it is when you see their logo or come across their social media profiles, but when you hear something about them mentioned, it’s instantly attached to something you know.
Great discussion by the way Nick!
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Tim Zager said:
A brand to me answers the question “What is the business or individual known for?” It’s a combination of traits that form something valuable that people are drawn to and want to tell their friends about.
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Olusegun said:
Your brand is your promise.
Nicholas Cardot said:
Olusegun » It’s whatever promise others think that you are making.
Suzanne Vara said:
A brand is a message based upon a promise generally to create/set expectations of the product/service and overall company. The message is developed and distributed via various channels for consumers to receive and react. As consumers encounter and experience the product/service they develop their own perceptions and identity for the brand based upon their expectations of how the brand through the product/service supported the message.
A brand that has done well is Apple. People lined up in the thousands for the iphone without ever being exposed to it or having any type of experience with it. As a company people had a previous experience with Apple and trusted that the iphone was going to be what they said it was.
To create a positive brand image/identity within the minds of consumers you must create a message that is believable, connects emotionally with the target market and is easily supported but the product/service (through performance). The corporate identity (name,logo, website, etc) does need to be aesthetically pleasing so that people like and elicit trust as people will buy brands that they like and trust.