Branding

Branding is giving a product a name, sign or symbol that tells it apart from competitors' products. Without it, a product is sold only by its generic name ('a camera').

Words to know:

• Brand: a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them.
• Brand name: the part that can be spoken (Maruti, Lux).
• Brand mark: the part that is seen but not spoken, such as a symbol or logo.
• Trade mark: a brand given legal protection, so no one else may use it.

A good brand name is:

• short, easy to say, spell and remember (Vim, Surf);
• suggestive of the product's benefits;
• distinctive;
• adaptable to new packaging and labelling;
• versatile enough for new products added later;
• capable of being registered and protected by law;
• with staying power: it should not go out of date.

Choose it carefully: once a product is launched, changing its brand name is hard and costly.