I Love Brands

This is a blog that I have been meaning to write for a while and I believe today is the perfect day to do so.

One of my favorite topics to discuss is branding. I took a brand management class my last semester and that was my absolute least favorite class, but that caused me to be determined to understand brands outside of class and that's how I found my love for brands and branding.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a brand as:

A brand is a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.

Or

A brand is a customer experience represented by a collection of images and ideas; often, it refers to a symbol such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme. Brand recognition and other reactions are created by the accumulation of experiences with the specific product or service, both directly relating to its use, and through the influence of advertising, design, and media commentary."

Or

"A brand often includes an explicit logo, fonts, color schemes, symbols, sound which may be developed to represent implicit values, ideas, and even personality."

The definitions that the AMA presents are pretty much the same. They are more so defined using different terms, but that is what causes it to be fascinating.

The three items I will be focusing on today are:

1. Brands to their core help identify a particular product/service
2. Brands are very much connected to a customer experience
3. Brands can represent specific values, ideas and even a personality

Brands to their core help identify a particular product/service.

What do you think of when I say Golden Arches or make a swoosh sign? I'm sure that the first image to your mind will be McDonald's Arches and the Nike symbol.

Having a specific name or logo come to your mind is not a bad thing, in fact that is showing that these two marketing teams are doing their jobs. This top-of-mind recognition is what all marketers and brand managers hope to achieve. This feat of having that high of brand awareness is key for any business to be successful or memorable.

Now I don't just write blogs that give definitions and talk strictly about marketing alone and talk about concepts. The key point in this is how this relates to everyday life.

This idea is helpful  to realize because we as consumers understand what a specific brand is and know what it sells. It makes it easier for us to understand print ads, television ads, etc. without having an agency example everything about the brand every time. We as consumers know about the product/service and that is why brand awareness (top-of-mind recognition) is so key.

Brands are very much connected to a customer experience.

Think of a brand that you have had a bad experience with. No matter how they try to portray themselves, if you had a bad experience with them you won't ever buy their product. For example, when I was in junior high I was super into cross country and you have many different options for running shoes. During my eighth grade year I had Adidas running shoes that looked really cool. When I got in my season the shoes felt exceedingly heavy (if you have ever ran competitively then you understand what I mean by having a heavy shoe). I have not bought an Adidas shoe since, because I did not like how they feel. In my mind, Adidas equals being a heavy shoe. Is this case for everyone? Of course not. Do I think Adidas is a bad brand? No, because I do have some clothing from them, but I won't buy their shoes because I have the perception that they are too heavy.

My customer experience with that brand is defined and no matter how they advertise, they will not win me over. So a marketing team can create an amazing ad campaign and be able to position their brand in such a unique way, but if I had a bad experience with that brand, the ad campaign will not effect me at all. Meaning that advertising is only half the battle with keeping a good brand image, but making sure the customer experience is positive (customer service) is the next side of the battle.

Brands can represent specific values, ideas and even a personality.

I'm going to be completely honest with you and admit that this is probably my favorite things about brands, especially in the area of which I read about in marketing.

The area that I'm going to be focusing on in this particular part is the personality aspect of a brand. I believe that as we enter into a more digital age with social media marketing and content marketing, firms will be more so inclined than even currently to personify brands.

Think about it though. When you follow a twitter page of a brand you are seeing what they would be like if they were a person. Taco Bell can reply to a tweet you make about them or Starbucks can like a picture that you take on Instagram. We as consumers are able to interact more intimately with brands then ever before and that makes it so much fun to be a part of the marketing world with all these major changes.

In my mind this is why so many marketers who are not necessarily in love with change are having such a difficult time with this. Brands are no longer just trying to relate to people, but they are in a way a living entity. Marketers are not just trying to sell an idea or concept of a brand, but are trying to convince you that you can be "friends" with this brand.  

For example, I'm not the biggest fan of Taco Bell's food, but I will eat there occasionally with friends. The thing I do love is that I could see myself being friends with Taco Bell if it were a person. Look at Taco Bell's social media pages. All of their pages are fun and they don't take themselves too seriously. The perception that I get from their social media sites is that they are that fun, easy-going friend who will be urging you to have a good time.

Another example of a personification of brands is that of Starbucks. Starbucks in itself gives off that super hip and artsy vibe. From their social media pages one can gather that they would be that friend you would have deep conversations with. They are that friend who would read about current events and be able to discuss what is happening in politics while still having a fun conversation about music, art or literature.

These two brands are completely different, but you can see them as a person because that is what marketing is doing. Marketing has been doing this since marketing has been invented, but it is becoming more relevant. Brands are not just going after a target market, but are becoming their target market.


There are so many more facets of brands that I have not even touched in this blog. Brands are so complex when you dig deeper into the world that these marketing departments are creating. There are so many layers that go into that add to the complexity and that is why I find them so interesting.

So, what are some interesting things that you think of when you think of brands or branding? What are some of your favorite brands that have a distinct personality?

I'd love to further discuss this topic and might do another blog on brand. Let me know what you think.