What exactly is a brand? It's a question that has confounded the academics for decades and eluded the most erudite of scholars. So, coming from the trenches of the real world of branding, we've defined the term and given it a comprehensive meaning.

What is a Brand? A Definition:

"A brand is a product or service with a unique mark, symbol or logo that has a defined set of attributes and characteristics which create a unique experience for the consumer/user."(c)

Let's break this definition down into pieces that you can use to create and further develop your own brand.

A brand consists of eight basic building blocks:

- The Name
- The Logo (brand icon)
- The Brand's Colors
- The Slogan and Brand Messaging
- The Sound of the Brand
- The Overall Look and Feel = The Brand's Position
- Packaging the Brand
- The Brand Experience

Is a product the brand? No.

Is a symbol the brand? No.

Does the brand really exist in the slogan? No.

If I don't remember the Brand, but I remember the color; is that the Brand? No.

Is the brand mostly represented by its packaging? No.

Does every Brand have a unique sound? No.

So, we are left with the real question? What then, is a brand?

"A brand is a product or service with a unique mark, symbol or logo that has a defined set of attributes and characteristics which create a unique experience for the consumer/user."(c)

A Brand is the greater sum of its parts. It is always more than just the nuts and bolts, the pieces; great brands are always the result of the whole equaling more than the sum of its parts.

Take Nike beand , for example. As a consumer, I've been a user of their Brand for a long time. As a marketer, I've been an observer for a long time. I've studied long and hard to determine why "Just do it" has worked for consumers for over 20 years. As an academic marketer I couldn't get it. But as a consumer, the visceral message of getting up in the morning, rain or shine, want to or not want to, and going out and running - no matter what - "Just do it" is a slogan that works. I'm not a runner, but I walk every day and just getting out there or on the treadmill and "just doing it" is an important part of my lifestyle.

But would Nike be what it is today without Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods?

Probably not.

And that's where the Brand Experience comes in.

A Brand is beyond the product; it's beyond shoes or clothing or sports equipment - it's all about being a "member of the club." It's about belonging. It's about the coolness factor. Tiger made golf cool. He took it from being an "old white man's sport" to being the coolest, hottest sport any kid could image.

Branding is about making me, the consumer or buyer, more hip, more in the "know," more cool than anybody else. We are a generation and a nation wanting to be special. We want to be richer, more beautiful, better dressed and more effortlessly gorgeous than any other generation that we know. (But then, we are a bit narcissist and would discount any other generation!)

At a time in our economy when everything comes from Wal-Mart, via China, it seems as though the low price wins. But, au contraire. Branding is at an all time high and it's precisely because we don't want to be just low-price buyers. How pedestrian, after all. We want the world to mean more than price. More than money. We want everything to mean more. We want everything to have meaning.

That's why we flock to the reality shows. Why we love "The Apprentice" and "American Idol" and other top realistic shows. We crave authenticity in this age of fabrication and falsehood. We "just want to be real."

We want to be able to trust what we buy and whom we buy from. That's why Coke is still the number one brand in the world. The more we know about a brand, the more we trust it. The more we trust it, the more we buy it and continue to experience it. The more we experience it, the more loyal we become.

Loyalty is the currency that cannot be traded for dollars.

When you have a loyal consumer, you have the world and Branding is the way to conquer the world.

 

One of the most popular line of sneakers within the Nike brand is called the Nike Dunk, these shoes were introduced to the market back in 1985, they were available in many colors and styles as well, they featured a high top or low top and were for the most part intended to be used by college and university basketball players.

As time went by the Nike brand went through an evolution stage and became more than a basketball sneaker, he became a subcultural icon which is now used to make a fashion statement. Even though the Nike brand became more of a cultural and fashion accessory the design of this shoe clearly shows that it was intended to be used during high intensity basketball games, the soul of the shoe is a lot wider and closer to the ground, these modifications decrease the weight of the shoe and effectively improve the performance of basketball players. The paneling structure was also revised in order to be more effective during blocking and pivoting.

The Nike brand was basically used to promote and launch Nike's College colors program in which the company sponsored many average basketball teams and provided them with this new line of shoe which were modified in order to match the colors of the basketball team uniform.

Some of the colleges and universities which participated in this "basketball sneaker revolution" were: the University of Maryland, the University of Nevada, the University of Iowa, St. John's University, the University of Michigan and many others. The production of the Nike brand was on hold for several years until 1998 when it was relaunched, the 1998 and 2000 models featured a nylon tongue as well as arch supports which set those versions apart from today's models.

Unlike the Air Jordan's, the Dunks have been produced in mass in order to accommodate and adapt to the growing demand, ironically enough special editions of Nike brands often fetch very high prices in the online market, if you are an online buyer who visits auction sites you may have noticed the some of shoes in this sneakers line called "What the dunks" may be sold for as much as $1800, which is the highest price recorded in an auction site which relates to a sports shoe, in this case Nike brands.

Nike dunk shoes have been quite a rage for some prolonged years because of the fact the way they look and definitely the comfort that they have provide to the wearers. Comfortable foot wears are indeed important and Nike has always been known to provide some of the most amazing shoes, be it any kind. Known for the way the brand has been able to captivate people and managed to keep them all mesmerized by the sports shoes has definitely been an achievement of its kind. Nike has been known to bring out shoes that not only are comfortable but are genuinely trendy. Nike dunk shoes were initially introduced by Nike in the year 1985. This was definitely long time back.

However, Nike dunk shoes were again introduced in the market worldwide in the year 1998 and this time this became a genuine hit. It is definitely a major criterion for any shoe lover to be able to get the perfect pair of shoes that not only look good or attractive but also makes the wearer very comfortable. To don sports shoes, it is important that comfort is given ample importance and in this case, Nike dunk shoes have undoubtedly been invincible. The vibrant colors that are coupled with innovative techniques have definitely managed to make it a huge hit among the sneaker lovers.

We all love to wear good shoes that look good, spunky and definitely that make us feel comfortable. Known for being able to give comfort to the wearers and known for the sporty reasons for which these shoes are used, Nike dunk shoes have been able to live up to the expectations of the people. Nike still proves to be one brand that has had n number of followers and with Nike dunk shoes, the trend still continues. So what are you waiting for? If you still have not got yourself a pair, then do not wait and go ahead.