In the beginning there was branding

Many people's lives would have been lost in vain if it were not for this kind of branding as people would fight over livestock and its ownership thereof. In comparison, branding has gone to a whole different level where consumers identify themselves using brands through a phenomenon known as brand association.

The goal of a business

Apple critics argue that if innovation was an exam, Apple lately would be getting straight "F's''. This is proven yet again with its recent launch of the Apple Watch as Samsung long broke those grounds with the introduction of the Samsung Gear smartwatch. So if a brand is not primarily known for ground-breaking innovation or if a product has features a customer can barely use (or, for what it is worth, know how to take advantage of) why would a customer buy it?

I found it interesting when a friend told me that when she attended the South African Success Summit 2013 one of the speakers, a high-roller, happened to mention to her that he would pay less attention to an entrepreneur using a Blackberry versus one using an iPhone.

With that said, I personally would buy a phone mainly because it has a picture of a bitten apple behind it. Sounds ridiculous to you? I'm sure it doesn't, but if it does let me be the first to inform you that this is the reason why companies spend millions and even billions to increase their brand equity through controlling perceptions.

When you see someone buying a product simply because it is an Apple, Bvlgari, or a David Tlale product, smile and know that someone has been having sleepless nights branding and rebranding as this is the goal for any business - having a name that will keep them in the market even when the excitement of being the 'new kid on the block' has long waned.

Consumer-brand association

This is why Apple is still, well... Apple as we know it today. It clearly scored this goal like the 2010 world cup opening goal, brilliant. One South African company that has come to understand consumer-brand association and inspires it through its '#BrandYourSelf' campaign is Edgars. Its customers are spoiled for choice as it has introduced international brands such as TM Lewin to its store range.

We have come to use brands as a form of standing out or making a statement in society about who we are and most importantly what we would like to see ourselves become. Whether it is being the next CEO of Mercedes Benz (a Hublot time piece would watch your wrist), a future doctor (a Mercedes Benz will get you there with patience), or the next big hip-hop star (Jordaans will give you the jump). Brands have become an extension of us, a universal form of expressing self-identity.

So in essence we went from branding animals to branding ourselves, quite a thought is it not? What is life without branding of any sort? Can you imagine it, because I can't...? And that's why marketers and brand managers globally love brands, both big and small, as it all started with branding.