It’s a buzzword that caught on in the late 90s. And it has since become one of the most misused words in marketing today.

Perhaps the best way to describe branding is to define what it is not.

Branding is not a logo.

Don’t confuse branding with branded. Cattle on a ranch are “branded.” This Web site is branded.

Clients will utter, “There’s not enough ‘branding’ in my ad. Make the logo bigger.” Or, “Put more logos in my ad.” A logo, no matter how large or how often it appears, will never get someone to remember you. It will never get someone to like you. A logo is simply a symbol. And until that symbol stands for something in the consumer’s mind, it is meaningless.

So, what is branding?

Perceptual reality. It’s how people perceive brands. And the power of the brand is what influences purchasing behavior.

Branding is what the brand stands for. It’s a brand’s claim.

Branding is defining a unique personality and then telling the world about it. Yet, branding is singular. Speak to one, and you’ll reach many. Speak to many, and you’ll reach none.

Branding sears an indelible, emotional connection with the brand the consumer’s mind.

But branding goes far beyond the consumer. Branding lies at the core of a company’s soul. It’s woven into its DNA. It’s called “brand wake.” Every company, no matter how large or small, leaves a wake behind as it moves through relationships with distributors, suppliers, employees, and everyone else who in some way touches or is touched by that company.

That brand wake is the brand equity of a company. That brand wake is a company’s perceptual reality. So, what’s yours? Are you asserting conscious control over all the ways you influence the perception of your key audiences? Or has your company’s brand wake taken on a life of its own?

If your company is like most, it’s the latter. In which case, how will you ever drive your point of differentiation in the marketplace? Sadly, so few companies get it. Nike does. Southwest Airlines does. Starbucks does. Millions of other brands do not. Is yours the exception?

If you answered “Yes!” to that question, keep this in mind: Building a brand takes courage and patience. It requires change and commitment. A brand is not built overnight. Branding is achieved through repetition and consistency. It is a process, a journey. And one well worth taking.

By reading this, you’ve already taken the first step. Contact us and we can take you all the way there.