Branding is to success of a product as gasoline is to a car. It's what makes it go.
The most successful companies in the country really own their brand; that is, they reap great benefits from positioning themselves and their products in the minds of the consumer. For the consumer, the brand may be more than just the product, it IS the company.
Think about the most successful brands in your lifetime. Is what you use when you have the sniffles a Kleenex? No, it's facial tissue, when an American has a cold, "Kleenex" is what they're looking for, even if they choose another maker of the product.
It's the same for products like Xerox copiers. My Mom still calls a copy a "Xerox."
But those are two successful products... what about branding for a company?
Then you're getting into the hallowed ground of Nike, the company that produced arguably the most recognizable brand identity the world over, utilizing the most recognizable logo and the most recognizable athletes. At one time, you couldn't walk anywhere and not see the familiar swoosh.
Who else touches Nike?
Apple, for one. They placed themselves in the public mind as the cool nerds, if that exists. And they started from the beginning, too. The developers of the first Macintosh holed up in one building and flew a Jolly Roger to signify that a new brand was going to invade the public consciousness.
Since developing the rebellious PC, Apple carved a niche among creatives such as graphic designers and musicians by offering unique software and functionality that PCs didn't have. Although they were born of the same ancestors, Apple positioned itself as the PC for non-IT people.
Going forward, Apple got bigger by getting smaller. The company practically created the gadget market, and that which it didn't create, it owns. Don't think so? Does anyone call the music storage device an "MP-3 Audio Player?"
That's right.. no one, except the companies that do not make the iPod.
That's branding.
