Branding vs. Brand

Today I’d like to demystify the difference between BRANDING and BRAND.

They are not the same thing.

What many people think of BRAND — logo, tagline, key message statements, visual identity, personality, voice, and marketing communications — these are actually BRANDING.

BRANDING is just a tiny subset of BRAND. 

Another way to look at it:

BRANDING is HOW people identify you — how they know, at a glance, that you are you and not another provider.

BRAND is MUCH bigger than that.

BRAND is WHY people identify WITH you.

Why they like you. Why they choose you. They aren’t just buying your product. They’re buying YOU.

It’s your character. Your mission. What you offer — your brand promise. And how well you DELIVER on that promise. Time and again.

How well you deliver is EVERYTHING. That creates the total experience your prospects have with you — good, bad, or indifferent.  THAT is your BRAND.

As such, BRAND encompasses every aspect of your business. Because every aspect of your business plays a role in how well you deliver.

Those aspects include your operations, finance, team culture, sales, marketing, customer support, and the aforementioned branding.

That’s why when I work with organizations to sharpen their brand, I encourage them to take a look at all aspects of their business. Do all aspects ensure fulfilling the brand promise and delivering a great experience to prospects and customers? Or is there a gap?

If there is a gap, the organization must either shore up that gap, or consider changing their brand promise to something they can actually deliver, while confirming that the revised brand promise is still unique AND something prospects want.

I’ve produced a couple of visual aids that illustrate the totality of BRAND, which I’m happy to share with you. 

One is the Brand Map, which is the template I follow when I facilitate strategic brand mapping for organizations.

The other is the Branding Wheel, which illustrates all the aspects of a business that can impact customer experience and brand perception.

I hope you find these useful. If you ever want to discuss your brand, I’m happy to chat. You can drop me a line here.

To your brand and marketing success,