BRANDING: The life cyle of a brand

We investigate the role of brand in business buying decisions and how to successfully create a brand strategy

 In consumer circles it's easy to identify: it's your chosen washing powder, coffee, chocolate, pen, mobile phone, car. Simply put, it's a product. It is as the Collins dictionary states, "A particular product". I say 'washing powder' you think Ariel, I say 'coffee' you think Nescafe, I say 'chocolate' you think Cadburys etc.

According to the dictionary definition brand may also be "a characteristic that identifies a particular producer". That may be Coca Cola's red labelling, Tiffany's turquoise boxes or the infamous Mateus Rose bottle (allegedly making a comeback).

In B2B it's different. Apart from Xerox, it's difficult to think of one B2B brand that so encapsulates a particular product. It's even more difficult to think of a brand whereby a single characteristic (obviously excluding the logo) identifies a particular product.