Brand and branding
116 terms, explained one by one
Concepts for defining a brand strategy, organising its architecture and building a recognisable identity. Includes naming, positioning, expression and experience.
A
- AcronymAn acronym is a set of initials pronounced as a word, such as NATO or laser, or, in Spanish usage, a word formed by blending parts of several words.
- Advertising versionAn advertising version of a visual brand mark is a variant intended for particular communication uses. The term appears in some identity manuals, without constituting a universal category.
- Aided recallAided recall is a measure of recognition that uses cues, such as brand names or signs. It differs from unaided recall, which asks people to name brands without showing them.
- Audio brandingAudio branding designs the sound elements that express a brand's identity and make it easier to recognise.
B
- B CorpB Corp is a private certification from B Lab relating to a company's social and environmental performance and management. It should not be confused with a legal form or a guarantee that all its activities are free from negative impacts.
- BrandA brand is a system of meanings, identifiers and experiences that makes it possible to recognise and differentiate an offer or organisation.
- Brand activismBrand activism is a company's public stance on a social, environmental or political cause.
- Brand ambassadorA brand ambassador represents and recommends a brand on an ongoing basis to a particular community or audience.
- Brand archetypeA brand archetype uses a recognisable narrative pattern to guide personality traits and expression.
- Brand architectureBrand architecture organises the relationship between the corporate brand, sub-brands and product or service brands.
- Brand attitudeBrand attitude is the overall evaluation, favourable or unfavourable, that a person forms about a brand and that shapes their inclination to choose it.
- Brand attributesBrand attributes are characteristics that an audience uses to describe or associate with a brand. They may concern observable features, such as a product's finish, or perceptions, such as approachability, rigour or innovation.
- Brand auditA brand audit examines the relationship between what an organisation intends to represent, what it communicates and how its audiences perceive and experience it. It identifies strengths, inconsistencies and opportunities before changes are commissioned.
- Brand aversionBrand aversion is an attitude of rejection towards a brand that may lead someone to avoid it or express opposition. It is not simply the choice to buy an alternative or a lack of loyalty.
- Brand awarenessBrand awareness measures the extent to which an audience recognises or remembers a brand within a category.
- Brand benefitsBrand benefits are the advantages a person gains or expects to gain from using a product or service, beyond its features.
- Brand communityA brand community brings together people who share interests, experiences or ties around a brand.
- Brand descriptorA brand descriptor is an expression that clarifies a brand's activity, category or offer. It can accompany the name without forming part of its registered name or main element.
- Brand designBrand design turns an organisation's strategy and identity into a recognisable system of expressions and experiences.
- Brand dilutionBrand dilution describes a loss of clarity or strength in a brand's associations when it is extended or used in ways that make its meaning harder to recognise. In strategy, it can arise when unrelated offers are grouped together.
- Brand essenceBrand essence summarises the central idea that guides a brand's identity, behaviour and expressions.
- Brand experienceBrand experience is the set of perceptions and responses produced by a person's interactions with a brand.
- Brand governanceBrand governance organises responsibilities, criteria and processes for maintaining and evolving a brand.
- Brand guidelinesBrand guidelines bring together the criteria needed to apply a brand consistently.
- Brand identityBrand identity defines the traits, values and forms of expression by which an organisation wants to be recognised.
- Brand imageBrand image is the perception that audiences form of a brand from their experiences and the information available.
- Brand loyaltyBrand loyalty is a sustained preference for a brand, expressed in favourable attitudes and choice behaviour.
- Brand markA brand mark, called marca gráfica in Spanish, is the visual sign that identifies a brand, whether through lettering, a symbol or a combination of both.
- Brand mascotA brand mascot is a character, usually an animal, a person or an animated object, that represents a brand and embodies its personality.
- Brand packagingBrand packaging connects brand building with packaging design. It treats packaging as part of how an offer is experienced and recognised, rather than merely as decoration.
- Brand parityBrand parity is the perception that several brands in the same category are equivalent, so that choosing one over another makes little difference to the person.
- Brand personalityBrand personality brings together the human traits used to describe and express a brand.
- Brand platformThe brand platform brings together the definitions that guide how a brand is built and managed.
- Brand portfolioA brand portfolio is the set of brands an organisation owns or manages to serve different markets and audiences.
- Brand positioningBrand positioning defines the place a brand seeks to occupy for an audience compared with the available alternatives.
- Brand promiseThe brand promise expresses the value or experience that a brand commits to delivering to its audiences.
- Brand purposeBrand purpose expresses the contribution a brand intends to make, which guides its activity beyond any specific transaction.
- Brand recognitionBrand recognition is the ability to identify a brand when given a cue, such as its name, symbol or sound.
- Brand roleBrand role is the function a brand performs within a portfolio. It helps determine which offering it identifies, how it relates to other brands and which resources it needs.
- Brand salienceBrand salience is the ease with which a brand comes to mind in relevant buying or usage situations.
- Brand strategyBrand strategy defines the role of a brand in the business, the audiences it addresses and the proposition it intends to sustain.
- Brand symbolA brand symbol is a graphic mark that identifies a brand without showing its written name.
- Brand territoryA brand territory is an area of meanings and themes in which a brand chooses to build a relevant presence.
- Brand tribeA brand tribe is a group of people who share an affinity with a brand or with practices and meanings related to it. It may have relationships and dynamics that the company does not organise.
- Brand typicalityBrand typicality is the degree to which a brand is perceived as representative of a category. It connects the brand with the characteristics an audience considers typical of that group.
- Brand valueBrand value is the contribution a brand makes to preference, relationships with audiences and business results.
- BrandingBranding is the strategic management of a brand to define what it stands for, how it differs and how it expresses itself.
- BrandjackingBrandjacking is the appropriation of a brand’s identity or meaning by third parties, whether consumers, activists, competitors or impersonators, outside the owner’s control.
C
- CacophonyCacophony is a combination of sounds that may feel awkward or unpleasant in a linguistic context. It matters in naming because it can make pronunciation difficult or produce unwanted associations.
- ClaimA claim is a phrase that communicates a promise, a benefit or a main idea of a brand, product or campaign.
- Clear spaceClear space is the empty area that must surround a brand mark, free of text, images or other elements, to support its legibility and presence.
- Co-brandingCo-branding is a collaboration in which two or more brands take a visible part in a joint offering or experience.
- Combination markA combination mark brings together a symbol and a written name that can be used together or separately.
- CopywritingCopywriting develops messages aimed at communicating value and prompting an action in a commercial or brand context.
- Corporate brandThe corporate brand represents an organisation as a whole to customers, talent, partners and other audiences.
- Corporate namingCorporate naming is the creation and selection of an organisation's name. It should respond to its proposition, its audiences and the contexts in which it will be used.
- Corporate social responsibilityCorporate social responsibility addresses the social, environmental and ethical effects of an organisation's activity. Putting it into practice requires integrating decisions and responsibilities into the business.
- Corporate typographyCorporate typography is the selection of typefaces and the system for using them that forms part of an organisation's identity.
D
E
- E-brandingE-branding, or digital branding, builds and manages a brand's expression and experience in digital environments. It encompasses products, content and relationships, consistently with the brand's other touchpoints.
- EmblemAn emblem integrates text and symbol in a composition designed to work as a single unit.
- Emerging brandAn emerging brand is a small or recent brand that a company regards as strategic because it expects it may become a significant brand in the future.
- Emotional benefitsEmotional benefits are the feelings a person associates with using a product or choosing a brand, such as peace of mind, enjoyment or confidence. They differ from functional performance, although the two can be connected.
- Employee value propositionThe employee value proposition, or EVP, brings together the benefits and conditions an organisation offers as a working experience.
- Employer brandingEmployer branding manages an organisation's reputation and proposition as a place to work.
- Endorsed brandAn endorsed brand keeps its own identity and shows the backing of another brand, usually the corporate one.
- EponymAn eponym is a person's name that gives its name to a place, product, phenomenon or other entity. In branding, this can occur when a brand uses its founder's surname.
- EuphonyEuphony is the sound quality that makes a combination of words feel pleasant or fluid in a linguistic context. In naming, it can help make a name easy to pronounce.
F
- Flanker brandA flanker brand is a brand or sub-brand a company launches to compete with specific rivals, often lower-priced ones, without changing the positioning of its main brand.
- Functional benefitsFunctional benefits are the practical advantages a product or service delivers through its performance, such as saving time, lasting longer or solving a specific problem.
G
I
- ImpersonationImpersonation uses someone else's identity to make people believe that a message, profile or service comes from a party that did not issue it. It can affect brands, organisations and individuals.
- Independent brandAn independent brand within a portfolio presents itself with its own identity and positioning, with little visibility of the parent company.
- Internal brandingInternal branding helps people within an organisation understand the brand and express it in their work.
L
- LogotypeA logotype is the graphic representation of a brand's name through letters designed or arranged in a particular way.
- LovemarkLovemark is a branding concept describing a relationship of strong emotional affinity between a person and a brand. It is used to explore connections that go beyond awareness or a functional assessment.
M
- Minimum sizeMinimum size is the smallest dimension at which a brand mark can be reproduced without losing legibility or recognition, as set out in its identity guidelines.
- MisbrandingMisbranding is a term relating to the incorrect or misleading labelling or presentation of a product. It may refer to information that misrepresents its nature or characteristics.
- MonogramA monogram is a graphic sign formed by combining or interlacing two or more letters, usually initials, to create a single symbol.
- Monolithic brandA monolithic brand architecture uses one main brand to identify an organisation's different offers.
N
- NamingNaming is the process of creating and selecting names for brands, products, services or organisations.
- Naming architectureNaming architecture sets out criteria for naming an organisation's brands, products and services consistently.
- Naming longlistA naming longlist is the broad list of possible names generated in the early stages of a naming project, before they are filtered and assessed.
- Negative brandjackingNegative brandjacking is the appropriation of a brand's signs or references to associate it with messages that damage its perception or create confusion about who is communicating.
- NeologismA neologism is a new word or a new meaning of a word within a language. In naming, the expression is also used for names created by inventing or combining linguistic elements.
- NoaNoa is a specialist naming expression used to describe a name considered free of problematic connotations within a linguistic and cultural analysis.
O
P
- Parent brandThe parent brand is the main brand that groups, originates or endorses other brands within an organisation.
- Perceived valuePerceived value is a person's assessment of the benefits of an offering compared with what they must give up to obtain it.
- Personal brandA personal brand is the perception and reputation a person builds through their career, behaviour and communication.
- Personal-name brandsA personal-name brand uses a person's first name or surname as an identifying element. It may be connected to someone who founds or represents an organisation.
- Pop-up shopA pop-up shop is a temporary retail space that a brand opens for a limited period, from days to months, to sell, showcase products or create an experience.
- Positioning statementA positioning statement summarises who a brand is for, what it offers and why it is relevant compared with other options.
- Positive brandjackingPositive brandjacking describes the spontaneous appropriation of brand elements by people who reinterpret or share them favourably. It may appear in content created by fans or communities.
- Private labelA private label is a brand sold under the responsibility of a retailer or distributor.
- Product cannibalisationCannibalisation occurs when an offering takes sales that previously went to another product or service from the same company.
R
- RebrandingRebranding revises strategic or expressive elements of a brand to respond to a new situation.
- Registered trade markA registered trade mark is a sign with protection obtained through registration within a defined scope. Registration identifies the owner and the conditions under which the sign is protected.
- Repeat purchaseRepeat purchase is when a customer buys the same product or brand again, measured as the percentage of buyers who repurchase within a given period.
- Reputation analysisReputation analysis studies how an organisation's different audiences perceive it and which facts explain that perception.
S
- Scent marketingScent marketing is the strategic use of fragrance in a brand’s spaces and experiences to reinforce its identity, recall or the atmosphere it wishes to convey.
- Sensory brandingSensory branding uses visual, sound, tactile, olfactory or taste stimuli to express a brand identity.
- SloganA slogan is a short phrase that condenses a communication idea and makes it easier to remember.
- Sonic logoA sonic logo is a short, distinctive sound composed for a brand that identifies it whenever it is heard.
- Sub-brandA sub-brand identifies a distinct offering while keeping a recognisable relationship with a parent brand.
- Symbolic benefitsSymbolic benefits are the advantages a person gains from what a brand represents, such as expressing their identity, signalling belonging to a group or standing out from others.
T
- TabooA taboo is a word, image or association subject to restriction or rejection within a cultural context. In naming, it matters because of the meanings a name may acquire when used in different environments.
- Tactile brandingTactile branding uses materials, textures and shapes as part of a brand's expression and experience. It applies to packaging, products, spaces and other elements that people handle.
- TaglineA tagline is a phrase associated with a brand on a relatively stable basis to express its proposition or character.
- Tone of voiceTone of voice adapts a brand's expression to the situation, the channel and the state of the person receiving the message.
- Top of heartTop of heart is a marketing expression used to describe emotional affinity or preference for a brand. It is usually contrasted with top of mind, which focuses on the first brand recalled without prompting.
- Top of mindTop of mind is the first brand a person mentions unprompted when thinking about a category.
- Trade mark counterfeitingTrade mark counterfeiting involves using a brand's signs to present a product as genuine when it is not. It should be distinguished from a disputed resemblance, an informative reference and criticism.