For the last couple of weeks, I have been taking a class about brand development called PLAY: Unlocking Brand and Behavior.
Although the class is addressing what it means to build a brand, many of the lessons have been centered around what it means to be human. It has been an addicting journey that has explored the psychology behind everything we do, think, and create.
In this class, our working definition of a brand is a gut feeling that someone has about a product, service, or organization. It is not an idea, logo, or product, but the actual feeling. For example, when you think of Nike, the first thing that you think of might be running shoes, but you also feel something about the company that you can’t necessarily articulate in words; a feeling that makes you trust the organization with who they say they are.
This feeling, when it has a positive impression, is what develops an idea, product, or organization into a powerful symbol. When an idea or concept becomes a symbol, it becomes a means of communication to audiences far and between.
For example, when Apple develops products, they develop for an individual of a certain nature. An individual who is not afraid to try things differently. A passionate person who believes in changing the…
