The path to a brand’s
meaningful reputation
White paper number 1
By: Tracy Lloyd and Bella Banbury
September 2009
Brand & Reputation
The concepts of “brand” and “reputa-
tion” are often seen as one and the same.
However, when viewed separately, sig-
nificant opportunities arise to improve
both.
The road to successful branding has
never been more complex or challeng-
ing. What started, as a one-way lane
going directly from the manufacturer’s
door to the buyer’s door is now an ever-
expanding, two-way, multi-lane super-
highway with intersections, tollbooths,
and rest stops.
During this evolution, the meaning
of the word “brand” has become very
broad. It has come to mean everything
from a trademark to what amounts to
being an all-encompassing and nearly
religious experience. Today consum-
ers, consultants, retailers, wholesalers,
direct sellers, CEOs, CFOs and CMOs
use the word to mean different things
depending on their perspectives on,
orientation to, and knowledge of, the
branding discipline.
The key lies in
why—and,
more importantly,
how—things
get remembered.
For many, there is no distinct line
between the meaning of a “brand” and
its “reputation”. However, by intention-
ally creating a line between the two, at a
point where one can presume one ends
and the other begins, one starts to see
clearly how a “brand” drives its ‘reputa-
tion’. At the same time one also sees
how the unique mechanics of reputation
building, viewed in isolation, hold clues
as to how that “cause and effect” works
and shows the steps one can take to
enhance its power.
The key lies in why—and, more
importantly, how—things get
remembered.
A useful dividing line
Before exploring the mechanics of
reputation building, it is important to
define a point at which it can be said
‘brand’ ends and ‘reputation’ starts.
Perhaps the simplest and most useful
division between the two is based on
control. The business behind a brand
invests tremendous amounts of capital
and human energy to create products
or service