Example: Cartier, Porsche and Apple sell quality, sexy, cool, classy, smart. McDonald’s, Dollar Tree, Wal-Mart and Hyunday sell value.

The marketing/messaging/packaging creates the image. The imprint, if you will. Your experiences (either personal or by proxy) create the context for the imprint, and either validate it or debunk it. The logo simply serves as the vessel for those two elements of brand expectations. The chalice, if you will.

I see where you’re going with your thought thought process, but branding is not a behavioral expectation.

Great photo though. ;)

Branding is indeed a Marketing concept. If we separate Branding from Marketing, we’ll be counting out the book which represents the beggining of Modern Marketing (The Practice of Management- Drucker- 1954). As Drucker taught us, the only reason for any company or brand to exist is to organize itself based on consumer’s needs and perspectives.

A brand is a (relevant + differentiated) promise inside the prospect’s mind. A Brand is not what you say it is. it’s what THEY say it is”. Brands only exist from a Marketing perspective. Otherwise, they become schizophrenic just like we’ve seen many brands from the automotive industry, for example.

Thank you.

Gabriel Rossi- Brazil

Then I thought about Chris’ conclusion: “Is that what we can sum up as the main purpose of branding? Managing people’s expectations of our brand’s behavior? ”

And it seemed to me that creating a particular brand, as defined within each consumer’s mind, is a three-fold process. The ‘essence’ that the company wants the public to see/hear/believe, the customer’s personal experience with the products or services, and third party validation or criticism from friends, press, etc.

So, yes, branding from a marketing perspective is about managing/creating expectations by conveying the ‘essence’ of the product or service, but in the end, customer expectations will be affected most by experience.

People have tried to use the word “brand” to describe things that are no more than personal attributes. A great brand is made up of many components, and I think without the visuals and creativity of the brands that drive markets and industry, the world would be a far duller place. Imagine Apple without some brand definition… it’s control, restraint, and unique attributes cannot be compared to a mark on a cow’s behind.

Like I said, I’m trying to figure out why you even posed the question, and what the question is, because I place a lot of value on branding and know how much it’s worth to the clients I serve and projects I work on.

Great article. I have been struggling with this very thought and your perspective has framed up the context of branding in a simple way. This is especially valuable when we think of permission marketing and the ways in which different brands attempt to reach people.

I also appreciate the conversation…the brand is perhaps less about managing the expectations, than reflecting the consumers behaviour….good stuff.

Thanks again.

Your brand is granted to you based on other people’s experience with you. Good brands manage this on purpose.

more here: http://azzarellogroup.com/blog/2008/10/24/whose-brand-is-it-anyway/