What Is Branding, Really? (Hint: It’s Not Your Logo)
Everyone talks about it, but few can define it. Let’s demystify branding by looking at it as the "aftertaste" of your business.
What Is Branding, Really? (Hint: It’s Not Your Logo)
If you ask ten people to define "branding," you will likely get ten different answers. Most will point to a logo. Some might mention a catchy slogan. Others might talk about colors or fonts.
They are all pointing at the packaging, but they are missing the gift inside.
This confusion is the reason so many businesses struggle. They spend thousands on a logo design, launch a website, and then wonder why they aren't connecting with customers. They have built the shell of a brand, but they haven't given it a soul.
To build a business that lasts, we need to strip away the jargon and get to the philosophical essence of what a brand actually is.
The Conversation in the Empty Room
Jeff Bezos famously said, "Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room."
This is the most accurate definition because it frames branding as reputation. You can't control what people say when you leave, but you can influence it. Every interaction a customer has with you, from your website copy to your customer support speed, plants a seed for that conversation.
If your website is confusing, the conversation in the room is: "They seem disorganized." If your product breaks and support is slow, the conversation is: "They don't care." If your story is inspiring and your service is flawless, the conversation is: "I trust them."
Your brand is the sum total of these conversations. It is the cumulative result of every promise you make and every promise you keep.
The Aftertaste of Your Business
Think of your business like a meal. Your product is the food itself. It nourishes the customer and solves their hunger. But the brand is the aftertaste.
It is the lingering feeling that remains long after the transaction is over.
Does your business leave a sweet taste of delight and ease? Or does it leave a bitter taste of frustration and confusion? That emotional residue is your brand. It determines whether a customer comes back for seconds or warns their friends to stay away.
Great brands obsess over this aftertaste. They know that people might forget exactly what you said or did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
A Promise Kept
At its core, a brand is a promise.
When you see the Apple logo, there is an implicit promise of innovation and simplicity. When you see the Volvo logo, there is a promise of safety. The logo itself is just a signature on that contract. It is a visual shorthand that reminds the customer of the promise you have made to them.
If you have a beautiful logo but you break your promise, by delivering a poor product or bad service, the logo becomes a symbol of disappointment.
Where Do You Start?
If branding is reputation, feeling, and a promise, then you cannot start with a logo. You cannot design your way to a reputation.
You must start with the internal work. You have to decide what you want the conversation in the room to be. You have to define the aftertaste you want to leave. You have to articulate the promise you are making.
This is why we built Markolé. We don't ask you what colors you like. We ask you who you are. We guide you through the deep work of defining your purpose, your values, and your story first. Only then do we help you sign that promise with a logo.
Because a logo without a soul is just a drawing. A logo backed by a clear purpose is a brand.