magnt

A common question among those new to the idea of branding is “where did all this branding stuff come from?  I feel like people are speaking a language I don’t understand.”  The reality is that you probably know the origins of branding but may not have made the connection between that and all the corporate lingo presently used.

People who work with livestock have been branding for centuries.  The practice of marking cattle with a hot iron originated in Ancient Egypt and has continued, with some technological updates, right up to the modern day.  ”So how did we go from marking cattle to corporate branding today” you ask?  The story goes like this, at the turn of the century a ranchers brand began to stand for more than simple ownership, it became intertwined with their reputation.  Certain brand images stood for excellent meat.  When you purchased from the “Circle 8 Ranch” you knew you were getting the best.  In fact all you needed to see was that big black “8″ on their packaging and your mouth started watering.  Of course they could now charge more because their “brand” held more value in customers minds.

Fast forward to the business world of today and a company brand has become a promise with the customer, a promise of the value you bring to their lives.  Keep that promise and customers will love you, break it and they may never forgive you.

So that’s they story of how branding has gone from red meat to corporate America.