The evolution of 'brand'

                                                                                                       image by glennz

In 2010 what's a brand?

Let's go back to then, do an abridged historical journey, and we'll see how we got to now.

According to Wikipedia 'brand' is derived from the Old Norse brandr, meaning "to burn." It refers to the practice of producers burning their mark (or brand) onto their products.

The use of brands can be seen on Egyptian Tomb walls dating back to 2,000 B.C.  and for over 4,000 years, brands have been used for identification on both livestock and humans. 

Brands in the field of mass-marketing originated in the 19th century with the advent of packaged goods.   Industrialization moved the production of many household items from local communities to centralized factories. When shipping their items, the factories would literally brand their logo or insignia on the barrels used. And as they say ther rest is history.

Fast forward just a liiil' bit....

In 1997 Tom Peters writes a Fast Company article titled "The Brand Called You" and at this moment the traditional idea(s) of what determined a brand, would begin to change. The concept of a "brand" can now be directly correlatd  to the nuances of the human element. 

A handful of years later in 2003, Marty Neumeier, in his book The Brand Gap, states that "a brand is not a logo, an identity or a product, but a person's gut feeling about a product, service or organization." This becomes even more interesting as the brand becomes the impression that people walk away with. 

Seth Godin even drops a gem himself..."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."

What I like about the idea of a "brand" in 2010 is that it is not static, as it shouldn't be. In many ways it is a living and breathing thing. Expanding and contracting according to the nature of what it is that's being represented. A brand can be an organization's unique process,  a company's business model, or even a city itself. It's all about the idea of what something is and how that tranlates to how people relate to it.

We live in challenging, dynamic and interesting times. The re-imagining of what a brand can actually be has only just begun.