What Is A Brand?

According to the American Marketing Association, a brand is a “Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” But there is a problem with this definition. It is pitifully narrow in its scope. The concept of a brand has moved much beyond the confines of a product or service for sale. Amitabh Bacchan is a brand, we all know that. So is Tom Cruise and Taj Mahal. But none of them are for sale and none of them have any design or symbol. The only thing that distinguishes them is their names and all the different imagery their names conjure up in your mind.

Put simply a brand “is a collection of perceptions in your mind.” This definition revolutionizes the concept of a brand and branding in the sense that an intangible experience can also be considered as a brand, not to mention the idea that any proper noun can be branded. So if it’s all about perceptions in our mind, a brand can be a product, place, people, ideas, religion, etc. And if you ever wonder which is the biggest brand ever, look no further than God!