Coca-cola - a powerful brand

We've created this guide to shed some light on the subject of branding; what it is, how it works and how you can use it to help improve your business or the perception of your service.

We'll explore:

• What we mean by brand and branding
• How the web has changed the relationship with customers
• How branding can help your business
• The key ingredients of any good brand
• How to communicate, manage and develop your brand identity
• Branding for different market sectors
• The relationship between design and branding

The words brand and branding are thrown around liberally by all sorts of people in  different contexts and with different meanings in mind, so it may help to start by asking: what exactly is a brand?

The simplest answer is that a brand is a set of associations that a person (or group of people) makes with a company, product, service, individual or organisation.

These associations may be intentional – that is, they may be actively promoted via marketing and corporate identity, for example – or they may be outside the company’s control. For  example, a poor press review for a new product might harm the product manufacturer’s overall brand by placing negative associations in people’s minds.

These are mostly positive brand associations, but there may be negative ones too. For example, Coca-Cola may be seen as unhealthy, or as a symbol of global imperialism by American brands. What is seen as a positive association to some may be unpleasant to others and negative perceptions could become attached to a brand’s identity even if the company strives to present a different character.

Of course, brands aren’t limited to the food and drink category. If a brand is just a set of associations then practically anything could be said to have a brand, even individuals – think Simon Cowell or Gordon Ramsay.

In fact, Ramsay's own brand is so strong, that in 2007 he leant his weight to a major advertising campaign by Gordon's Gin. He was chosen not just because of his name, but because his association with a sense of quality and exclusivity mirrors the drinks manufacturer's own brand values.

Other high-profile examples of recognised brands include Toyota, British Airways, Tate, Amazon, Save the Children, Burberry, HMRC or even London. From services to cities, products to publications, each carries a strong set of associations in the minds of a large number of people.