You're Wrong About Branding

Branding Misconceptions

It must first be addressed that there are far too misconceptions on what branding is.

The term ‘branding’ is erroneously used interchangeably with identity design, logo design, marketing, and even typography. These are all valuable components of a brand, but they are not branding itself. This has led many to believe that branding is a logo or an eye-catching color scheme. But branding is much more than that.

Before we talk about what branding is, let’s clear up what it’s not:

Branding is not a logo — that’s a symbol, a visual shorthand for a company. A logo does not communicate what your audience needs to understand about your business.
Similarly, branding is not the promise a company makes in its advertising, nor is it the sum of impressions a company leaves behind in its messaging, design, or marketing campaigns. These things help shape a brand, but they are only touchpoints along the customer journey.

So, What is Branding?

The true definition of branding is how customers perceive and feel about your product, service, or company.
In other words, a brand is the result of all these interactions.

It’s what sticks in people’s hearts and minds — the gut feeling they get when they think of your brand. Ultimately, a brand is your business reputation.

When you make a brand, you’re not making one — you’re making thousands, maybe even millions in the hearts and minds of your customers. Each individual customer forms a unique brand perception, which contributes to your overall business reputation. That’s okay, as long as each perception is aligned with your values and messaging, and is beneficial to your company.

Measuring Brand Success

The real measure of brand success is in the answers to a few key questions: What is the reputation our brand has built? How are we perceived by our audience?

You shape this through your products, packaging design, messaging tone, your mission and vision, the look and feel of your presence, the culture you cultivate, and even how your employees behave. All of these influence your branding, and when you take a step back to analyze it, you’ll see it’s a big and intricate world to navigate.

Strategic Branding is Branding

Since branding is the result, it’s important to have a plan that gets you there. That’s where brand strategy comes in — it’s the roadmap that guides your brand’s growth and ensures all the moving parts work together seamlessly. Without a clear strategy, you risk sending mixed messages or creating an inconsistent customer experience, which can dilute your brand’s reputation over time.

A well-crafted brand strategy aligns your values, messaging, and customer experience, ensuring that every touchpoint resonates with your target audience. It’s not just about reaching customers, but about reaching them in a way that sticks, that resonates on an emotional level. Strategy clarifies your purpose, defines your goals, and gives you the tools to consistently communicate your brand’s essence — from how you present your products to how you interact with your customers.

In the end, a strong brand strategy doesn’t just help your business enter the minds of your audience; it positions your brand to stay there, building trust and loyalty over time. It’s about creating a brand that customers don’t just recognize, but one they truly connect with and return to, time and again.