Abstract
According to the American Marketing Association (2014), a brand is a “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” Brands can be distinguished from the more generic constructs of products and services, which can be defined as anything offered for sale to a market to satisfy a need or a want. Unbranded products and services are commodities (flour, soap, beer, banking). Brands allow for the differentiation of generic products and services by associating them with particular producers, meanings, and qualities. A brand is the total constellation of meanings, feelings, perceptions, beliefs, and goodwill attributed to any market offering displaying a particular sign. Branding refers to the advertising, marketing, and managerial practices designed to develop, build, and sustain the characteristics, properties, relationships, and signifiers of a particular brand.
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