Do you know the history of “branding”?
Here is a quick Birdseye view on how it came into existence and practice.
The concept of “branding” has been around for hundreds of years. But as time went by, “branding” has taken many meanings and usage.
First a little background on the word “brand”.
In doing some research, I found out that the word comes from the Ancient Norse ( SIDE NOTE: Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian was a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlements from about the 7th to the 15th centuries) which meant to “burn”. Around 950 A.D., a brand was referred to a burning a piece of wood. By the 1300s, it was used primarily to describe a torch, a burning piece of wood used as a tool to mark something or livestock. However, by the 1500s it was solely used to mark ownership of livestock. Ranchers would burn their initials on their animals in case they got lost or stolen, they could easily identify them. It was simple and unique. You can equate it to today’s modern logos.
- Click here to read more on “what a “ brand is and isn’t in today’s marketplace ”
1820s brought us another usage of a “brand”. The rise of mass production and trade goods all over the world opened visibility (brand awareness) of products, allowing them to be known in faraway lands. However, with time, the “brand” became known as a symbol of quality rather than ownership.
Any “brand” perceived of a higher quality could have been sold and still is, at a higher price. This practice also gave way to trademarks.
Mass Media Comes into Being
With the radio and the television era, manufactures found new ways to create and demand more of their “brand” getting more recognized in the marketplace. By 1928, Edward Bernays, nephew of Sigmund Freud, published a book, titled Propaganda, copyright 1928, in which he made the case that associating products with ideas and “brands” with large numbers of people could influenced the act on purchasing such products (this is where the term “impulse buying" probably comes from).
As the years went on by, around the 1960s, marketers were using mass media to associate brands with emotional benefits rather than functional ones. At the time, purchasing a particular “brand”, made someone feel as part of an exclusive group. By 1979, Coca Cola came with the tagline, “Have a Coke and a Smile!”
The 1980s brought an incredible reach of products on the global stage, giving consumers more choices than ever. Like anything else in business, building brand recognition became more important to companies rather than focusing their products and services. This strategic move, allowed to build “brand” loyalty across product lines.
In 1984, Apple Computer released their iconic “1984” television ad, showing users how to break free of rigid conformity by using Apple computers. The concept took off quite well and business began to focus more on establishing long term corporate identity.
This turn of development in the marketplace gave way to Advertising Agencies which morphed into Brand Consultancies practices which in turn brought into existence branding for nonprofits, potential groups and even personal brands for celebrities.
So, what’s going on now?
So now, fast forward to the the 21st century, between the internet and social media the next stage in the evolution of branding is taking another important and huge step as our world shrinks as far as being able to reach anyone, in anyplace, instantaneously.
No longer are people in today’s market satisfied in merely consuming – they want to participate. Social media brands like YouTube and Facebook rely on their users to help establish their value and how they are perceived by the public.
Content sites like Amazon and Yelp depend on reviewers to provide their most persuasive content. Although internet-based companies give up some of the control of their brand image, the loyalty from an actively participating customer base is unparalleled. Viral marketing, search engine optimization, and outsourced delivery allow organizations to gain visibility and deliver products without spending millions on advertising and infrastructure.
Being a marketer for the last 20 years, I, personally, am eager to keep watching (and learning) how we use the term of “branding” that started over hundreds of years ago by branding livestock into what we know today, as “brand awareness” in a Digital World.
- Click here to read more about “How to Brand Your Brand-New Business”
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Please let me know if there is anything that I can assist you with marketing. I have been an Email Marketing Specialist for over seven years. It has allowed me to help small business owners integrate email marketing, online registrations and online surveys into their marketing strategies. You are certainly welcomed to reach out to us if you want to have a free ½ hour consultation thru Zoom. Please email us at john@thejrsolutions.com to set up an online session.
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