What does a brand mean? You will see that I can't say enough, and I can't say it well.

In the last three hundred or so years, the idea and practices of brands and branding have evolved to be much more sophisticated and multi-purposeful. Brands have transformed from being purely functional to being sort of a cultural phenomenon. In the beginning of brand usage, advertising was primarily used as propaganda and to sell product. Of course, those are still the primary functions of ads and branding today, but ads and branding have also become an art-- a form of expression and individuality. The evolution of products to brands has also transferred the importance from the brand and product itself to the consumer and his/her relation to the brand, more so even that the consumer's relation to the product.

In this transition, brands and advertisement also became the essence of competition. In a culture of excess, our grocery stores are filled with not just one kind of every essential or desired product. When we shop for food, we are faced with the choice of which of several brands of bread, chicken, cookies, fruit, and even water we should buy. How do you make your decision? Label? Their association with another popular brand? Price? Cooperate social responsibility? What ever the answer is, it is part of the promise the brand has made to the consumer; part of the impression they have made on you--the consumer.

In short, brands have become things that govern our lives. They help you make decisions. More than that, we now use brands to tell the world who we are. What jeans should I wear that exude my essence of self to the rest of the world? What watch should I purchase--does it say worldly entrepreneur, or trendy student? It's really quite narcissistic, but we unconsciously live by these governances anyway. How else do we give off that vital first impression?

Honestly, I'm not sure that I have made a very coherent point here. And I have only touched on a very small portion of what brands do for us, and to us. What they mean. I will close this entry with reiterating that brands affect people, and the world. I mean, we are going through another election, and choosing between two brands to lead our country. Because brands do contribute to major decision making in the world, it has also become very important for brands to offer up some sort of social responsibility. Again, I'm at kind of a loss for something else to add without going on with unorganized thoughts forever. Hope this is on the right track...