Lesson 2: What is a brand?

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We hear the term brand thrown around a lot, but what exactly does it mean? Your brand is basically all the ways a customer experiences your company (your product, customer service, online presence, etc.) and how they feel and think about your company as a result.

A brand is an abstract concept, so let’s look at a few more explanations. See how some top business executives and entrepreneurs describe what a brand is in the quotes below.

WHAT IS A BRAND?

  • “A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.” – Seth Godin
  • “A brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”  – Jeff Bezos
  • “Products are made in a factory but brands are created in the mind” – Walter Landor

We can learn a couple of things from the quotes above. First, your brand is what sets you apart from the competition. Second, you can have an idea of how you’d like your company to be perceived, but ultimately your brand is what people actually say, think, and feel about your company. Third, your product or service is not your brand; a brand encompasses the more abstract ideas, feelings, expectations, and relationships associated with your company.

For example, take a look at these symbols:

Pictured above is a checkmark, an apple, and an “M”, but you probably recognized these as more than just generic symbols. What feelings, expectations, and thoughts came up immediately when you saw these images? Do you think these feelings and expectations match up with the images these companies are hoping to create?

Your reaction to these images is an example of what it means to have a  brand. You don’t need to have an immediately recognizable company like the examples above to have a successful brand. But, when customers see your website or interact with your business, you do want their gut reaction to be positive. You want the customer to get to know what you’re all about and develop good expectations of your brand.

What is a brand anyway? | Forbes
Check out this Forbes article to learn more about what a brand is and how the meaning of “brand” has evolved over time.

You’re driven by your vision and values and you’ve put in the hard work to make your business a killer business, so it’s important to develop a brand that communicates this vision, drive, and quality. You’re probably starting to get an idea of why your brand matters. Let’s dig into the key reasons in the next lesson.