Brand You

Chapter 2

How do brands work?

Brands in the broadest sense have existed for thousands of years. Empire-builders have long understood their importance. One example is the Lion of St Mark, complete with wings and a book, which was the symbol of imperial Venice. It stands on a column between St Mark’s Square and the gondolas. Visitors to Bergamo, far away in the foothills of the Alps near Milan, are sometimes surprised to see the Lion of St Mark on the side of the Palazzo della Ragione. From the fifteenth to the eighteenth century the brand reminded people that they were in the Venetian Empire.

Corporate brands have existed for more than 400 years. The East India Company was founded in 1600. Since then corporate brands have sprung up in every ...