Brand is a peculiar thing. We all instinctively understand it, but due to some quirk in human cognition, most of us aren’t consciously aware of it and therefore have trouble putting it to use. Yet even so, we all can’t help but be influenced by it, because it’s fundamental to the way we think and feel as human beings.

Here at Bez Brand, one of the things we love most is that moment when we’re working with a person or company and the light bulb clicks on and they really get it for the first time. They finally see what brand really is, and what it can do for them.

Maybe someday we’ll work with you too, but in case we don’t, here are nine things (and counting) about brand to get you started down the path. Enjoy.

9 Things We’ve Learned About Brand

1. Brand is how people feel about a thing (you, your product, your company). It is separate and distinct from the actual thing (you, your product, your company), but is every bit as real.

2. Brand is essential, because it is what your customers use to make decisions. They base their decision on how they feel about your thing, not the thing itself.

3. Many, many things affect how a customer feels about your thing. This includes many things you might not think of as “marketing” or “branding” activities, and many things that have little to no incremental cost. (I.e., You can build your brand without spending a lot.)

4. How people feel about your thing, in turn, affects their experience with it. If they feel positively towards the thing, they will perceive it to be easier to use, its color to be more appealing, and on and on. If they feel negatively towards it, the converse is true.

5. Strong, complex brands start as simple brands, for the same reason that strong, complex relationships grow out of simple relationships. A strong brand forms around a simple emotional attachment (e.g., fast customer service response times), and then grows and evolves.

6. Good brands are authentic, true to the essence of the thing they derive from. You can create an inauthentic brand, but it will be fragile and live on borrowed time, until the underlying truth is inevitably revealed. (I.e., You can’t fool all the people all of the time.)

7. Brand is the ultimate competitive advantage, because when properly cared for, it exists indefinitely and cannot be copied. There are companies with strong brands that have been in business for hundreds of years.

8. While anyone can create a strong brand, individuals and smaller companies have an advantage over larger, more established companies because they can be more focused, and they are more in touch with their essence, simply as a result of being small.

9. In other words, the little guys are, in many ways, best positioned to create and wield the most powerful competitive advantage one can have.