Hereâs my definition: A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumerâs decision to choose one product or service over another.
If the consumer (whether itâs a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesnât pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer.
A brandâs value is merely the sum total of how much extra people will pay, or how often they choose, the expectations, memories, stories and relationships of one brand over the alternatives.
A brand used to be something else. It used to be a logo or a design or a wrapper. Today, thatâs a shadow of the brand, something that might mark the brandâs existence. But just as it takes more than a hat to be a cowboy, it takes more than a designer prattling on about texture to make a brand. If youâve never heard of it, if you wouldnât choose it, if you donât recommend it, then there is no brand, at least not for you.
If you hear a designer say this (believe it or not, I didnât make this quote up), âA TCHO Chocolate bar, with its algorithmic guilloche patterns, looks like a modern form of currency. âModernâ was always part of the brand brief â no faux traditionalism, but resolutely forward-looking for a new generation of chocolate enthusiastsâŚâ then I wonder if thereâs a vocabulary disconnect.
Design is essential but design is not brand.
PS a Google tip: you can find the definition of any word by typing âdefine:â followed by the word into your search box.