Branding

A brand is a company, product or range of products that has a set of values associated with it that are easily recognised by the consumer and the public; such as Nike's tick and the slogan 'Just Do It' create a rebellious and urban feel. Brand's are distinguished immediately by their name and/or symbol A brands identity is created using:

Brand Essence - a way of summing up the significance of the brand to stockholders and consumers alike of the brand in one simple sentence.
Brand slogan - a public way of identifying the brand for consumers - often associated with a logo.
Brand personality - marketers give the brand human characteristics making it very relatable to consumers.
Brand values - what does it stand for/against?
Brand appearance - what does it look/sound like?
Brand heritage - how long has it been around? Does it have customers who have been loyal to it for many years?
Emotional benefits - how does the product make you feel? Must be a positive effect to be effective
Hard benefits - bigger? better? cheaper?

Consumers are more familiar with the whole brand rather than individual products. The process of advertising allows us to associate value with products that may not have a real connection to them - for instance; Nike always selects rebellious athletes such as Christiano Ronaldo (Known for his on pitch antics) to promote its products whereas Puma endorse more skillful/professional players such as Gianfranco Zola.