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What exactly is it? Well, in my last article (Brand - a journey) I took you on an imaginary journey. In that article I presented several brands to you. Some you knew no doubt through actual experience (Telecom); some you knew by virtue of their market status and reputation (American Express); others you may have formed some assumptions about merely because of their associations with another brand you recognised or had heard about (the iconic Wellington restaurant Logan Brown for example, offering a Cloudy Bay Chardonnay from its cellar).

And during that journey I am sure that you did not identify with those brands

solely by virtue of their logos did you? No, probably not. Brands are not just a logo. Nor are they merely a name, a brochure, an advertising or PR campaign.

Beginning to see what I mean? It goes a lot deeper than imagery or communication material.

Brands today exist in an incredibly tough market environment. As if the competitors weren't enough, you have to deal with consumers. Consumers that are savvier, better educated, more cynical, certainly spoilt for choice, and far more fickle than ever before. They are often a doubtful and suspicious bunch. And no wonder - most of the brands encountered are lacklustre. Those that do rise above the norm (like the ones mentioned in my imaginary journey) and which stand out in an otherwise vanilla landscape, command attention. Why? Why do we acknowledge these brands, relate to them, connect with them and (possibly) even be loyal to them?

Because brand is about promise. And brand is about delivery on that promise.

Brand is about creating a relationship based on a set of values that the consumer relates to.

Brand is the sum of all the experiences the intended consumers have with a company, product or service.

There. Those are some nice definitions. And if you relate these definitions to the brands that command our attention, our loyalty (or even our love if you follow Kevin Robert's philosophy "beyond brands" as espoused in his book, "Lovemarks") then you begin to see why they are brands in the true sense of the word.

PROMISE. DELIVERY. RELATIONSHIP. VALUES. EXPERIENCES.

Powerful words! And PRICE isn't even mentioned!

Seriously though, what does this mean to us as business people? The reality is that we all have to work harder to secure the essential relationships that fuel our existence and growth. Building distinctive, enduring relationships with consumers is what branding is all about. Both internally and externally!

You will notice that I have used the word "consumers" rather than "customers". This is deliberate. Because in the wider sense I like to think that a great many audiences will "consume" a brand - management, staff, affiliates, partners, suppliers, competition (yes even them!), industry observers or commentators, friends/family, and customers/clients.

OK so we are definitely moving away from widgets and price aren't we? We have entered a new dimension. Brand. Experience.

Let me think of a good example to wrap this up. Harley-Davidson. They have a mission statement that says:

"we deliver products and services that FULFILL DREAMS"