A logo is not a brand.

Still think your brand is just a logo? It’s a common misconception. But when marketing nerds like us talk about your Brand we are basically talking about your company’s soul.

Your Brand is an assemblage of everything you are. Your logo for sure…but it’s also the hold music somebody hears when they call in. It’s what your product looks like, how well it works, and the package it arrives in. It’s your mission and your values.

And, ultimately, it’s a culmination of every interaction your customers have had with you — both good and bad. At its core, it reflects a promise of future experiences yet to be delivered; a kind of unspoken contract between you and your audience.

If I give you my money, I’ll get: status, utility, fun…whatever it is I’m seeking and you’re selling. I won’t really know until I buy. Your Brand is telling me to trust you, and I’m deciding if I believe you enough to make the leap.

And therein lies a key precept of Branding. While you might pick your logo colors and which font to use on your website, the true arbiters of your Brand will be your customers.

They’ll decide if the way you present matches how they feel when they interact with you or use your product. They’ll decide if the promise is fulfilled. And that requires more than a fancy new logo.