Brand is a term that’s easy to throw around, but it doesn't have a "standard" definition. That’s not a bad thing (because your team can create the definition that works for you). But, it’s worth at least establishing some common ground.
As a collective, we like to think of brand as your reputation. Your marketing, then, is how you manage it.
So, what goes into that reputation? We like this list (though it’s by no means exhaustive):
When we start a brand project, we usually start with an audit of four key areas. We’re happy to do an audit for you for free, but if you want to do it yourself, here’s what we’d look at.
Your brand isn’t just the look and feel of your business — it’s a direct representation of your overall positioning. The first question we ask is straight from April Dunford’s book: What do you do, and who is the well-defined audience that you do it for?
Use this framework to determine if your positioning is clear. It’s a copywriting framework called The Rule of One: