I’ll keep it brief. In the most literal sense, your brand is your unique mark (name, logo, etc.) that distinguishes you and your property from competing companies and their property. However, today we talk about "brand" in a broad sense—the sum of your positioning, messaging, and visual identity.

In an abstract sense a brand might be defined as the emotional and intellectual relationship that you have with your customers. This definition is based on the viewpoint that perception is the better part of reality: no matter what qualities you want your brand to project, it can never be greater than how it is viewed and experienced by the audience.

Updated 7/7/2011 — Attorney (and my good friend) Christopher Collins adds an excellent point: "Peter, you are correct in the marketing sense. As we move to the legal arena, a brand or trademark means the unique source of your goods or services. In other words, your customers identify the mark or name with a specific point of origination." Chris counsels clients in all aspects of intellectual property protection.

Also read:

• How do I measure the strength of my brand?
• What is a brand strategy, and how is it built?

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