Branding is an exercise in self-awareness

The brand is two things together:

a. The set of elements (visual, auditory, physical, conceptual) that distinguish a product/service/company/person (hereinafter referred to as "the product").

AND

b. The image, the perception, the opinion that prevails in the public about the product.

If the first of the above is missing, then the second cannot exist. That is, there cannot be a "perception" of something if that something does not show up somehow in the real world.

If the first exists and the second is missing, then we do not have a brand. We simply have a name and a logo, which, however, mean nothing in the minds and hearts of the public.

The brand is not the image that we, the brand managers, have in our minds, nor the image that we wish to convey for our product.

The brand is the total perception that the public has formed and remembers about the product. And that necessarily includes both elements above, that is, both the distinctive elements/symbols, and the cognitive and emotional content associated with them.

Branding, then, is the strategy and tactics we apply to design, build, serve and strengthen the brand.

Here is the heart of the matter:

1. How we build a strong brand, or

2. How we nourish, serve and strengthen an existing brand.

First of all, it is necessary to clarify which of the two we are called to do. They are not the same thing!

We build a brand when we apply a strategy to create from the beginning a distinct identity for a product, which is recognizable and means what we want it to mean to the public.

On the other hand, we serve and strengthen a brand when we develop such strategy and tactics, that every action and point of contact with the public reminds and strengthens the identity and image of the brand.

In both cases, branding is an exercise in self-awareness, discipline and executive ability.

Here we come to how well and clearly we understand what a brand means, or what we want it to mean, in the minds of the public.

A brand is a personality.

As a personality, it is known to the world by a name, by its external characteristics, but also by its character, its values, the mood and emotions it inspires in others, its special abilities and strengths, its weaknesses, its advantages. Based on these, it has its followers, it has supporters, fanatical friends and enemies, a circle of admirers, competitors and rivals, and of course, most importantly, its buyers/customers.

All of this requires method, time, work and cost to build and the same to nourish and strengthen.

Very importantly, it is required from us, the brand managers, to make important and crystal clear decisions about the "why", the "how" and the "who" of the brand and how all of this is integrated and manifested consistently in every contact point of the brand with the outside world, in such a way that it "creates" happy, loyal customers and "friends".