Are Brands Good for Britain?
A Brands Lecture exploring the consumer, social and economic contribution of brands and how Britain ranks with the rest of the world.
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Posh Spice and Persil
A Brands Lecture on the relationship between brands and individuals, describing how brands are created by an array of diverse influences.
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Brands Museum
A must for all those interested in the world of brands: the Museum in Notting Hill is a unique collection of brands from the 1890s through to the present day.
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The Newsletter
Published twice a year, British Brands covers a wide range of topical branding issues.
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What is a brand?
To some, a brand may just be a name, logo, corporate identity or just recognisable packaging. To others it may be a “trust mark” – a guarantee of consistent quality and to a brand manufacturer it is one of his most valuable and yet intangible assets.In fact a brand is all these things – and so much more besides. A strong, recognisable brand is priceless – it consistently delivers on its promise of quality and value. It makes choosing much easier and provides the buyer with reassurance and confidence in his purchase.
A strong brand takes note of what the consumer wants and places great emphasis on its research and development in order to cater to their requirements and stay one step ahead of competitors. Such innovation is the stimulus of a living, dynamic market constantly striving for improvement and encouraging competition.
Brands create jobs and wealth – some £500 billion of gross output, 400,000 jobs and £6 billion per year in exports from the UK.* Brands provide work in poorer economies and their well-known name brings a transparency to working conditions in those countries and hopefully improvements there.
*Coopers & Lybrand report 1995
The definition of a brand
Whether it be a bar of soap or a luxury car, a brand makes a promise to its buyer that will meet or exceed his or her expectations of consistent quality. A consumer’s trust in a brand has to be earned and this loyalty, together with the buyer’s positive emotional response is what makes the brand a winner.
A strong brand is unique and stands out from the crowd and it is this ability to differentiate itself from the competition that makes the brand such a powerful mechanism for choice and competition. In addition, a brand is available from one end of the country to the other – sometimes even globally. Its constant desire to meet consumers’ changing needs and to keep ahead of the competition means it is continually striving for innovation and improvement.
(See the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s website for more on brands and how to manage and develop them.)
