In 60 Minute Brand Strategist, Idries Moottee suggests:

Brand is unarguably the most powerful business tool ever invented. (Pix).

That’s a big call! So, what is a brand?

What is a brand?

Mootee puts it’s very simply:

• A Point of View – Your brand is what you base your business strategy on.

• A Customer Value – It’s something that is valued by your customers and not just fluff, spin, images, sound bites or fancy ads.
• A Competitive Advantage – Your brand is a business asset that provides an advantage in the marketplace. The best brand wins!
• Engineered – Your brand grows when it is strategically designed and built. It doesn’t just happen by itself…
• Alive – The meaning people put on your identity becomes your brand. This includes the products and services plus the culture and standards of the organization.
• Logic and Emotion – Branding is both art and science.

[Tweet “6 elements of a Brand plus 5 that are not #branding”]

What a Brand is NOT

And, Mootee again describes what is not a brand:

• Not about Marketing activities – your brand is higher up the priority list than this. It’s not your advertisements either!
• Not your Products or Services – these are tangible expressions of your brand only
• Not a Trademark – this is a legal piece of intellectual property. Again it’s only one expression of the total brand.
• Not a Mission Statement – this is simply a reminder of your business goal. This applies to your manifesto also.
• Not a Logo or Slogan – again these are expressions of a brand, not the entire thing.

Source

Idries Moottee, 60 Minute Brand Strategist, P8-9

COMMENT: How do these principles fit with your view of what a brand is and isn’t?