"Brand" Defined

by Jason
So thanks to Armano's TwitPimping of my last post, we actually got some traffic and comments. :O Again, thanks for taking the time to stop by, and, especially for commenting.

I started to reply to commenters one-by-one last night, but all of the "aren't we just talking semantics" questions made me think...I guess I need to define what I mean when I say brand.

My definition of "Brand": The strategically crafted and narrowed-down list of attributes, benefits, and equities a product or company wants to stand for in the mind of its consumers.

That said...

• I'm a creative, not an MBA.
• This doesn't match Trout and Ries's (or any other textbook's) definition, as far as I know.
• I actually apply brand/marketing/digital thinking for a living, so it's experience--not theory--driving my definition.
• I'm no genius, but I'm smart enough to admit when I'm wrong (maybe only to myself, but still...).

I think the rationale for valuing "being a person" far more than "being a brand" kind of hinges upon a willingness to consider this definition.

So...is that definition of "brand" reasonable? Is it nowhere close? Have something better?

Assuming I can get a bit of head-nodding, I'll spend a bit more time explaining why a "person" aspiring to be a "brand" is upside-down (read:wrong-headed) thinking.

Comments

[Matthew M.]

The word to describe a person aspiring to be a "brand" is megalomaniac.

[bender]

LOL

That's funny.