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Audience

The group to which a product, service or message is aimed; also called a target audience. 

Authenticity 

The quality of being genuine, often considered a powerful brand attribute. 

Avatar 

A brand icon designed to move, morph, or otherwise operate freely across various media. 

Brand 

A person’s perception of a product, service, experience, or organization; that art  and science of brand building.

Brand Agency 

A strategic firm that provides or manages a variety of brand building services across a range of media 

Brand Alignment

The practice of linking brand strategy to customer touchpoints (see brand strategy, touchpoint)

Brand Asset

Any aspect of a brand that has strategic value which may include brand associations, brand attributes, brand awareness, or brand loyalty. (See Brand Attribute, Brand Loyalty) 

Brand consultant 

An external adviser who contributes to the brand building process, often in a strategic or advisory role. 

Brand Equity 

The accumulated value of a company’s brand assets, both financially and strategically; the overall market strength of a brand. (read Managing Brand Equity David A Akar)

Brand Identity 

The outward expression of a brand, including its name, trademark, communications and visual appearance. (see designing brand identity, Alina Wheeler)

Brand Image 

A costumer’s mental picture of a product, service, or organization 

Branding 

Any effort or program to build a brand; the process of brand-building. 

Brand Loyalty 

The strength of preference for a brand compared to competing brands, sometimes, measured in repeat purchases. 

Brand Manual 

A document that articulates the parameters of the brand for members of the brand community; a standardized set of brand-building tools.

Brand Story 

The articulation of a brand as narrative; a coherent set of messages that articulate the meaning of a brand. 

Brand Strategy 

A plan for the systematic development of a brand in order to meet business objectives. 

Charismatic Brand

A brand that inspires a high degree of loyalty and is perceived as irreplaceable.

Co-Branding 

The purposeful linking of two or more brands for mutual benefit. 

Commoditization 

The process by which customers come to see products, services, or companies as interchangeable, resulting in the erosion of profit margins; the opposite of brand-building. 

Differentiation 

The process of establishing a unique market position to increase profit margins and avoid commoditization; the result of positioning. 

Emotional Branding

Brand-building efforts that aim at customer’s feelings through sensory experiences. 

Feature 

Any element of a product, service, or experience designed to deliver a benefit. 

Halo Brand 

A brand that lends value to another brand by association, such as a well known master brand and lesser known sub-brand. 

Icon

The visual symbol of a brand, usually based on a differentiated market position. 

Look and feel 

The sensory experience of a product, environment, or communication 

Marketing 

The process of developing, promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service. 

Market penetration 

The market share of a product, service, or company compared to others in the category. 

Market Position 

The ranking of a product, service, or company compared to others in the category. 

Market Share

The market share of a product, service, or company compared to others in the company 

Mission Statement 

A concise statement of the purpose or aspirations of an organization

Name Brand

A widely recognized product, service or organization. 

Perception 

An impression received through the senses; a building block of a customer experience. 

Positioning 

The process of differentiating a product, service, or company in a customer’s mind to obtain a strategic competitive advantage; the first step in building a brand. 

Promise

A stated or implied pledge that creates customer expectations and employee responsibilities, such as Fed-Ex’s on-time guarantee. 

Radical differentiation 

A bold position that allows a brand to stand out from market clutter. 

Reputation 

The shared opinion of a product, service or organization among all the members  of its audience.

Segment 

A group of people who are likely to respond to a given marketing effort in a similar way. 

Segmentation 

The process of dividing a market into subcategories of people who share similar values and goals. 

Strategy 

A plan that uses a set of tactics to achieve a business goal often by out maneuvering competitors

Tagline 

A sentence, phrase or word used to summarize a market position. 

Trademark 

A name and/or symbol that indicates a source of goods or services and prevents confusion in the marketplace; legally protectable form of intellectual property. 

USP

The unique selling proposition of a product or service, as championed by advertising executives Rosser Reeves in 1950’s; a type of differentiation. 

Validation 

Value Proposition

Vision