What is a Brand?

Though there are several answers to this question, here is a different view:

Let’s take the example of a B2B company. Here the brand is the people which represent the organization. So, my B2B client’s view about me is the “brand” that they associate us with, putting the onus on all of us to create a great Brand Image leading to a lasting Brand Equity. The organization as a Brand becomes important only after the people representing the organization proves their credibility – hence the Brand Equity

In case of a B2C product, Branding is a rather complicated process . Here the brand is created as a result of various activities happening over a period of time – first, by various marketing communications, then proving its functionality as against its advertised / conceived ones, its easiness to use, and most importantly, how well it is actually solving the “problem” it is so designed for. Therefore, a brand lasts only when a consumer is satisfied on all these fronts.


Therefore, as we see a Brand is nothing but the image about a product/service in the mind of the consumer. The efforts put in while in a brand building exercise, has no direct relation to the impact it can create in the minds of the consumers. However, the it obviously has impacts on how a brand or people / organization associated with it, behave in front of the public eye.

Since consumer’s mind is not so easy to predict, it doesn’t take long for a positive impact to turn negative (the reverse is rather difficult). Let me give u an example:


I used to use a particular hair-care product very religiously for several years – I was attracted by the product’s promises, the organization, its promise of it’s corporate social responsibilities in the company website, etc, until I met the Brand Manager! This guy is not only a big Snob who loves throwing his attitudes around, but he is the most people insensitive person I have ever seen (I have seen him dealing with his Team Members). The end result: They lost a die-hard customer, and I switched over to a competitive brand! If this is the impact on someone, who has some understanding about marketing and sales, imagine the impact it would have on a normal consumer!


Therefore, at the end, it doesn’t matter if the product is B2B or a B2C. If I am representing an organization, or a product or a service, I am responsible to keep the image of that brand intact in the mind of the consumer all the time. And, it’s not an easy job at all!


By Susmita Das Gupta