Individual’s experience, mindset, belief or a memory

It can be said that brand is a mindset, belief, or memory associated with a product; trademark; service; a person or group of persons; ideology, political movement, company, association or similar, or a public enterprise, as well as a public administrator or a public authority, etc.

Contrary to a fairly general explanation, there cannot be a single common understanding of a brand. The interpretation of a brand is always subjective to everyone, consisting of encounters of the brand in different circumstances and in different states of mind.

A brand is subjective interpretation

So, should then a duplicated and consistent brand perception and experience be doomed to failure from the outset – because everyone has their own interpretation based on their own history of experience, values, current state of mind, and all of humanity in general?

That, of course, is not the case. When, for a wide range of people, individual perceptions and experiences are sufficiently similar, a brand has potential to be experienced as a combination of certain qualities and values ​​associated with them. Influencing these associations and perceptions and the integration of values ​​- is brand work.

Influencing to associations, perceptions and the integration of values ​​is brand work

The design of a product line – for example – can be consistent, advertising and communication are centrally similar with their language versions, the tone of voice is consistent, customer communication and advertising are strictly in line with a certain style, etc. Cohesive brand is reality only to the point where it encounters the recipient in its various forms. From then on, everything is a subjective interpretation of the recipient and results of individual choices.

The objective for brand work is to create a framework for these interpretations of individuals. The legitimacy and value of a brand’s existence is determined by the state of mind and the circumstances in which each encounters the brand and perceives its significance to oneself or to the group one represents and makes choices based on that. Properly done brand work recognizes, allows, and endures the inevitable existence and randomness of this humanity.

Properly done brand work recognizes and allows the inevitable existence of humanity

Read more: What is brand work?
Lue suomeksi: Mitä on brändityö ? ( fin )

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Timo Keinänen Explorer, concept designer, art director, writer, strategist and graphic designer.
”I belive that you should be yourself, as all other roles are already taken. If you have the opportunity to express an opinion, express your own.”

Thoughts, posts and opinions represent myself only.