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What's a brand? It's not very tangible. It's more like a feeling than a thing. While it may be managed by you or someone at your organization, it is really outward perception that defines your brand. Furthermore, even if you truly have the best brand in the world, if people don't feel that way, you don't.
The brand of a company is really its reputation. Just like a personal reputation, a brand reputation is formed based on the behaviors and actions of the company (or person), and how those behaviors and actions are perceived.
Since each of us understand what a personal reputation is, it makes it easier to understand what a company brand is.
John Moore (from Brand Autopsy) and I, some years ago, were working with a client that wanted help with their brand. Knowing that the business was full of smart people, but not seasoned marketers, we started first with the metaphor of personal reputation. Once everyone quickly understood that, we shifted-gears and related that back to their brand reputation.
The team found this extremely helpful, and in fact, had several ah-ha moments when managers finally understood what a brand is about!
In our examination of reputation, we identified these six characteristics and outlined these definitions.
Examining the company through these filters helps to gauge how you're reputation is performing and which areas that may need development.
(1) Being Remarkable
Don't be invisible.
You should have something special to offer. Something unique from your competition. Something that makes you noteworthy.
(2) Having Values
Stand for something not everything.
Have a reason for being. What is it your employees and customers can believe in? Make financial success a by-product of doing the right thing.
(3) Being Genuine
Appeal to Main Street, not just to Wall Street.
You need to be authentic, the real you. Any guise you may have that's inconsistent with who you truly are will be discovered. So start by being real.
(4) Having Empathy
Cultivate loyalty beyond reason.
Work to support loyal customers more than others think is wise. Personalize the customer experience, treat each customer - no matter what your volume - as an individual. Support your evangelists, your raving fans, to increase your loyal following.
(5) Having Vision
Be mission bound.
Having vision means truly wanting to make the world a better place. It's about looking to the horizon - the broad view... a company that is built to last, not built to flip. A brand with vision serves as an enabler to help consumers live their dreams.
(6) Being Conscientious
Make everything matter
You should have depth and social meaning. (Don't be shallow). Strive for excellence. Have and support strong beliefs.
Taking a look at that list again, you'll notice that the people and brands with the best reputations live according to most or all of these characteristics. It's this character that forms their reputation... and their personal brand. The same follows for your company brand.
Are there other concepts you've found helpful to help communicate branding? Are there additional characteristics I should include?
Please add your comments!
Recommended Reading
If you feel your brand is lacking in any areas, use this suggested reading list to guide your development.
Being Remarkable
"The Number One Strategy for High-Performance Brands"
(Marty Neumeier)
"The Brand Gap"
(Marty Neumeier)
"Purple Cow:
Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable"
(Seth Godin)
"99 Cows" (PDF)
(Seth Godin)
"Becoming a Category of One:
How Extraordinary Companies
Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison"
(Joe Calloway)
"The Experience Economy"
(Pine & Gilmore)
Having Values 
"Focus:
The Future of Your Company Depends on It"
(Al Ries)
"Citizen Brand:
10 Commandments for Transforming Brands
in a Consumer Democracy"
(Marc Gobé)
Being Genuine
"Love Is the Killer App:
How to Win Business and Influence Friends"
(Tim Sanders)
"The Servant Leader:
How to Build a Creative Team,
Develop Great Morale, and Improve Bottom-Line Performance"
(James Autry)
Having Empathy 
"Creating Customer Evangelists:
How Loyal Customers Become a Volunteer Sales Force"
(McConnell & Huba)
"The Art of Innovation:
Lessons in Creativity from IDEO,
America's Leading Design Firm"
(Tom Kelley)
"Be Our Guest:
Perfecting the Art of Customer Service"
(Disney Institute)
Having Vision
"Built to Last:
Successful Habits of Visionary Companies"
(Jim Collins)
"The Art of the Start:
The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide
for Anyone Starting Anything"
(Guy Kawasaki)
"Re-Imagine!"
(Tom Peters)
Being Conscientious
"Emotional Branding:
The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People"
(Marc Gobé)
"Lovemarks:
The Future Beyond Brands"
(Kevin Roberts)
Additional Reads
"It's Now How Good You Are,
It's How Good You Want To Be"
(Paul Arden)
"Unstuck:
A tool for Yourself, Your Team. and Your World"
(Yamashita/Spataro)
"Orbiting the Giant Hairball:
A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving With Grace"
(Gordon MacKenzie)
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Comments
We were trying to conjure up some other ideas when it came to brand and reputation and what you should add to the list but everything we thought of coincided with what you had already written - your article is great! Love the book suggestions as well!
Posted by: Brick Marketing | 04.18.08
Paul, I might have read the same concept before from you or another article on the DailyFix or MP's.
The concept was, don't talk to your senior execs about "brand" because they will roll their eyes. Talk to them about "reputation" and then by extension "brand" because reputation is a concept everyone understands.
Posted by: Paul Barsch | 04.18.08
@Brick... Thanks for the comment... Glad to hear the provided list is potentially collectively exhaustive and mutually exclusive!
Thanks for commenting!
Posted by: Paul (from Idea Sandbox) | 04.18.08
@Paul... I hope I'm not being redundant, repeating myself, saying the same things over and over...
There *is* a chance that I've spoken about this before... But never revealed these six characteristics!
Thanks for your comment, Paul!
Posted by: Paul (from Idea Sandbox) | 04.18.08
I think the b-word gets way too much praise in this day and age. The term is just a buzz word to so many. I think reputation is a better model.
Posted by: Levon | 04.18.08
Hi, Paul. When I speak and train to non-marketers, I like to refer to branding as a promise waiting to be fulfilled - something that is represented by every touchpoint in an organization. That covers reputation, too.
Great book list. One I would add to this list is Lead With Your Heart from our own MP blogger and branding maven, Lewis Green. Here's the ISBN: 978-1-59996-120-0. (Blog comments don't allow for links.)
Posted by: Elaine Fogel | 04.18.08
The best brands are the one that have a person behind them.
For example, I just signed up with a service company that is fairly large. Immediately after signing up, I received a call from the president of the company inviting me in and thanking me for signing up. He then asked if I had any questions or if there was anything I could do.
THAT is what is behind good branding.
MrAchievement
Stanley F. Bronstein
Attorney, CPA, Author & Motivational Speaker
Posted by: MrAchievement.com (Stanley Bronstein) | 04.18.08
Your point#4 Empathy (Loyalty beyond reason) - is beautifully captured by Kevin Roberts, CEO Saatchi & Saatchi in his "Lovemarks" concept.
(Think Apple fans!)
Posted by: Krishna Mony | 04.19.08
I realy believe in 'affinity arketing' - The trust rank is going to be much more important than the google rank in the next years ...
Posted by: Christelle | 04.20.08
I couldn't agree more with your thoughts on a brand being more of a reputation than anything. A reputation is something that everyone can understand.
I tend to put a lot of emphasis on having a vision and making it public. Not only to organizational staff, but to the consumers, letting them know that we have thought this through, we know where we are going and we want our consumers to come along for the ride.
Great post.
Posted by: Chris Davis | 04.22.08
I couldn't agree more with your thoughts on a brand being more of a reputation than anything. A reputation is something that everyone can understand.
I tend to put a lot of emphasis on having a vision and making it public. Not only to organizational staff, but to the consumers, letting them know that we have thought this through, we know where we are going and we want our consumers to come along for the ride.
Great post.
Posted by: Chris Davis | 04.22.08
I couldn't agree more with your thoughts on a brand being more of a reputation than anything. A reputation is something that everyone can understand.
I tend to put a lot of emphasis on having a vision and making it public. Not only to organizational staff, but to the consumers, letting them know that we have thought this through, we know where we are going and we want our consumers to come along for the ride.
Great post.
Posted by: Chris Davis | 04.22.08
My apologies for the multiple post...My internet froze mid-click.
Posted by: Chris Davis | 04.22.08
Paul, thanks for the article. It inspired me to write my own post on reputation (a truncated version of yours at best):
http://marketersynergy.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/forgotten-reputation/
Posted by: Michael Lombardi | 04.22.08
Thanks for the comments and discussion... I'm not a fan of jargon or buzz words...
They get in the way of genuine communication... (I don't mind jargon here and there between two marketers, as shortcuts in language during a conversation)...
But most jargon seems to be invented to make a professional sound highfalutin.
Keep the comments coming!
Posted by: Paul (from Idea Sandbox) | 04.22.08
Paul,
To second the other comments-great post. I've recently been put in charge of one of the great American brands that has, in my opinion, sullied it's reputation by trying to be everything to everybody. I hope to right the ship utilizing some of your guiding principles.
Thanks.
Posted by: Marc Okicich | 04.28.08