What's in a Brand?

If you're like a lot of entrepreneurs, when you hear the term "brand" you think of your company's visual brand - logo, colours, etc. But a brand is so much more than the visual elements that represent it.

A brand is how your customers think and FEEL about your company. These thoughts and feelings are based on all of the experiences that your customers have had in interactions with your company. 

These interactions include but are not limited to: 

- Seeing your logo, colours, UX/UI, etc. and reacting to them emotionally 

- Seeing your advertisements for the first, 2nd, 3rd, 10th, 30th (etc.) time and reacting to them emotionally

- Interacting with your salespeople for the first, 2nd (etc.) time and reacting to them emotionally

- Visiting your stores, offices, etc. for the first, 2nd (etc.) time and reacting to them emotionally

- Purchasing your products for the first, 2nd (etc.) time and reacting to them emotionally

- Unboxing your products for the first, 2nd (etc.) time and reacting to them emotionally

- Using your products for the first, 2nd (etc.) time and reacting to them emotionally

- Using your products repeatedly over the course of time and reacting to them emotionally

- Returning your products for the 1st, 2nd (etc.) time and reacting to that process emotionally

- Hearing about your products via word-of-mouth and reacting to that emotionally

- Reading product reviews online and reacting to that emotionally

- Associating your products with the environments in which they are showcased (i.e. if they appear in a favourite show as product placement, etc.) and reacting to that emotionally

- Associating your products with the celebrities or influencers that are endorsing them, and reacting to that emotionally

- Etc. 

In other words, a brand is how a customer FEELS in all of these aforementioned interactions with your company. 

The formulas below are helpful in understanding this concept.

Individual Customer Brand Perception Formula: 

(Every interaction that customer #1 has with your company) + (All of the combined emotions that customer #1 experiences during these interactions) = Customer #1's perception of your brand 

Average of All Customers' Brand Perception Formula:

(Customer #1's brand perception) + (Customer #2's brand perception) + (Customer #3's brand perception) ...etc. divided by the total number of customers = Average of all customers' brand perception 

Want to learn more? I work with entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes on their brand and marketing strategy and would happy to discuss yours with you. 

Krysten Milne, MBA

Management Consultant