A brand was the action of burning a symbol into the flesh of a horse in order to signify ownership of the animal. Branding started in Sweden in the middle age (476-1492) when the ruling economy was the agrarian and commodities were extracted from the natural world: animal, mineral, vegetables, etc.
We don’t use hot irons to brand any more, although there is a lot of personal branding taking place with the rise of tattooing. Nowadays brands use names and symbols to make a promise to people. It may be a promise to be cheap, to stop your toothache fast or to make people feel happy. And of course as well, everyone is a brand. Our name, once uttered, sends signals to the brain about what to expect. (reliable?, show-off?, shady?, honest?)
Brands facilitate mankind’s desire for instant knowledge. They are short codes to hearts and minds. And everything you do in the name of a brand either helps or hinders its relationship with people. Not only the obvious things like your advertising and your telephone operator, but the not so obvious, like your pricing and if you are available online.
You position your brand in everything you do. Not just your advertising.
