Is your company a Brand?

When we consider #brands beyond products, they become representations, symbols, or elements in our lives. Rolex is the sign of a good Swiss watch. McDonald’s is recognizable thanks to its golden arches and bright colors. Nike is both a sportswear distributor and a company that pushes people to “Just do it.” They’re all brands.

Brands do more than symbolizing. They attract or repel, in part, by “the personality of the brand.” As with people, that attraction is the starting point for a relationship. You have a sense of Amazon’s personality, “the everything store,” as being accessible, cheap, and fast. Or take that Marlboro, man! — do you want to be as cool as a cowboy man? Brands aren’t just things you buy. They’re beliefs you buy into. Or not.

And here’s a secret: a mega-billion dollar industry has grown up around brands to help guide where they go and influence what they represent.

The idea of brands is really a point of view. Brands are complex #symbols. And we want you to broaden your perception of what a brand can be. Check out our #Checklist and figure out if you have done everything possible to make your brand a Brand.