Definition of brand

Our definition of brand: The idea(s) behind, identity of, and experience(s) created by an organization, product, service, or other entity.

Often contrasted with

• Branding: The combination of actions taken and tactics employed to create and maintain a brand.
• On brand: Consistent with a brand’s image or expectations created by a brand.

Other definitions of brand from around the web

“A brand is a name, term, design, symbol, or other feature that distinguishes an organization or product from its rivals in the eyes of the customer.” – Wikipedia

“A living business asset, designed to enhance the connection between a business and customer or consumer. A brand is the way in which people understand, navigate and talk about a company’s business strategy and it simplifies decision-making when selecting a product or service. A brand helps ensure relationships that secure and create future earnings by driving demand, commanding a premium and engendering loyalty. Once simply considered trademarks or logos/logotypes, brands deliver tangible economic value.” – Brandchannel (no longer online)

“Unique design, sign, symbol, words, or a combination of these, employed in creating an image that identifies a product and differentiates it from its competitors.” – BusinessDictionary (no longer online)

“A brand is a mixture of attributes, tangible and intangible, symbolised in a trademark, which, if managed properly, creates value and influence.” – OVO

“The collective perceptions and impressions people have formed about an organization, its products and/or its services, whether through direct (ads/purchase) or indirect (word-of-mouth) interactions.” – The Financial Brand

“A person’s perception of a product, service, experience, or organization; a commercial reputation.” – The Dictionary of Brand, Marty Neumeier (Liquid Agency)

“Representation of consumer perception of and feeling toward a product/service.” – Stealing Share

“An organization’s promise to a customer to deliver what the brand stands for not only in terms of functional benefits but also emotional, self-expressive, and social benefits. …It is also a journey, an evolving relationship based on the perceptions and experiences that a customer has every time he or she connects to the brand.” – David Aaker, in the introduction to Aaker on Branding: 20 Principles That Drive Success

Quotable definitions of brand

“A brand is a living entity—and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures.” – Michael Eisner, former CEO of Disney

“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” – Jeff Bezos

“A brand is the face of a business strategy.” – Prophet dictum (from David Aaker‘s Aaker on Branding: 20 Principles That Drive Success)

“We define brand as the intersection of promise and perception.” – Ken Pasternak of Two by Four (previously Marshall Strategy)

Visit the branding glossary for definitions of other branding terms. This Definition page will be updated periodically with new content. Please share any suggested additions in the comments section.