Branding: The Origins

 

The notion of Branding has been around for eons, if not longer. The original concept of branding comes directly from nature itself. Nature uses the simple yet sophisticated language of branding to tell one thing apart from the other. Be it the black and white stripes on a zebra or our fingerprints that are unique to that one particular individual and can be used to identify them. We studied and incorporated this language and still use this language today, though the usage and definition might have broadened significantly.

The word ‘brand’ that we use today is a derivative of the Norse word 'brandr', meaning 'to burn'. Branding in the early 2,000 BCstarted quite literally, farmers' cattle and livestock were branded physically and since then everything has had a "mark" "watermark" or "logo". Livestock branding was one of the earliest pieces of evidence of branding, which signified ownership, and, over the years, it evolved from being just an identification mark to implying taste and quality.

Let us draw on another example of Murray’s (1904b) use of “brand” in his translation of Euripides’ play, The Bacchae where Murray refers to Dionysus’smother as “the brand” because she was struck by a lightning bolt by Zeus which led the birth of Dionysus. Archaeological evidence shows that in 2700 BCE the Egyptians branded their oxen with hieroglyphics. Similarly, ancient Greeks and Romans marked cattle, criminals, and slaves.

Scarification, a type of human branding has been widely used by many West African tribes to mark milestones in both men's and women's lives, such as marriage or victory. It is also used to communicate complex messages about identity; such permanent body markings may emphasize fixed social, political, and religious standing.

Another indication of the link between burning and brand is the German expressions ‘brennte’ meaning it is burning and ‘der Brand’ meaning the fire, the burning. Moreover, rootdefinitions of the words brand and branding include such elements as a flaming torch and a hot iron. Of course, the years have been kind to the word, its usage since, it has dropped the negative connotation and is now associated with the identity of a product, company, or individual.

Thankfully, post the industrial revolution, we have a better understanding of branding and now know that it is not just a logo or graphical representation of a product or service; branding is used to communicate ideologies, features, lifestyle and a channel to emotionally connect with the audiences.

The power of branding can be seen in the assertiveness of the word “brandish” which means to display ostentatiously. Thus, empowering marketers to proudly flaunt the names, logos of their brands and consumers parade expensive Louis Vuitton bags with the letters LV emblazoned on them as a status symbol or feeling like Tony Starks they drive their Audi cars with the iconic four silver rings that set them a class apart. To sum it all up, the core idea of branding that originated from fire still carries the intensity of meaning. Though, now it generates an identity or a trademark that will forever be the image of the company or product.

A substantial shift has come about in branding because of the evolution of the IoT and social media which has become the driving factor of the change in the ways of branding that we see today. Companies are researching newer, more interactive ways to promote their brands for today’s well-connected and ever-evolving consumers. As we enter into this new data-driven age, your guess is as good as ours as to what the future of branding would be, but it’s a future that we are looking forward to.