Why brands are so important.

Since the Cognitive Revolution, way back when we were migrating from the African savannah and establishing little settlements and villages all around the world, the role of branding has been evolving. It started as a simple way to signify ownership of an animal, but soon evolved to signify allegiance to a tribe or clan, or membership of a family or a guild. Branding has now evolved into a complex (and often colourful) system of collective belief, which legitimises many of the interactions we partake in on a daily basis.

Getting people to agree that a symbol on a sheep’s bottom signifies that I own that sheep, is one thing. Getting people to believe that the shape, colour and wording on printed pieces of paper signify an equivalent value to that sheep, so these pieces of paper can be exchanged for a cow, for example, is really quite another. But it’s because we’ve invested so much trust, value, and meaning into this system over the years, that it now works so well.

As our knowledge has developed and technology has evolved, this system has become more sophisticated. But it hasn’t changed much.

We’re now moving into the digital era where bank notes are replaced with digital currencies, so the methods of exchange are not physical, but automated, unseen and intangible. But such is the trust that now resides inherently in these complex systems, that we collectively believe they will work and act in our interests. And if we get an inkling that they are not, we establish a movement to bring them back to task.  

One of the things we look for, to give us confidence that we can trust our instincts and believe in these systems, is the presence of a logo or brand mark. For reasons embedded deep within our cognitive function, when we see that mark there in plain view, we have so much more confidence that this thing is genuine. And more importantly, we have much more confidence that this complex system of exchange and ownership that we’re about to engage in to get our hands on that thing, is genuine too.

I know I’m writing this blog in a slightly glib manner. And it’s not to belittle or mock this process, on which our entire culture happily relies.  

It’s just to make a simple point about a phenomenon, which is paradoxically quite complex and mind-boggling. And it’s just this: that the evolution of ‘brand’ is very-much in sync with the evolution of people. As our systems of belief and social interactions have become more sophisticated, brands have evolved to give us reassurance around them. And it’s for this reason, whether we like it or not, that our much of our culture relies on these little symbols of meaning, value, and belief.

So, the moral of this short blog, is that if you’re going to invest lots of time, energy and money in developing a business, an NFP, or a movement, you’d be well advised to spend some time developing your brand. So people find it easier to believe in what you’re doing. And feel more confident engaging with it.