What do you know about the History and Evolution of Branding?

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The History and Evolution of Branding

To truly understand something, One needs to understand and know its origins. Knowing it’s origins allows us to understand that particular topic or subject deeper and fully grasp its purpose.

I don’t know about you, but when I first started my journey of Branding, I began to ask many questions about it and “how did Branding come about” is one of the significant questions in my head.

I hope by having all the information of the History of Branding in one single article help will lead your perception of Branding in an entirely different light.

The Origins of Branding

Honestly, in my personal opinion, the moment someone can recognise and differentiate one person from another, we’ve been branding. However, let’s read some facts from different articles and researches.

Let’s start by looking at the origins of the word itself…

The word ‘brand’ dates back to Old Norse, the ancient North Germanic language from which modern Scandinavian languages derived.

The verb ‘mark with a hot iron’ dates from late Middle English and by the mid 17th century, the term ‘a mark of ownership made by branding’ was formed.

Branding dates back more than 4,000 years to the Indus Valley.

The first thought of Branding was known to begin during the ancient Egyptian times, where they used to differentiate one person’s cattle from another’s through a distinctive symbol marked in paint or tar.

It was only by 2000 BC, the livestock owners switched to a more permanent method by burning into the animal’s skin with a hot branding iron.

Branding was then not only used to identify livestock but goods. Pottery makers used different engravings to determine their origin and material. In Ancient Egypt, masons engraved symbols on the bricks they produced for the pyramids to ensure they were fairly paid. The list goes on throughout the world — to identify One’s product or property.

Of course, the purpose and methods of branding have evolved. However, despite all these evolutions, there are a few traits that have not changed even from the past. I believe it stayed throughout all these years because it is the primary purpose of Branding.

1. Branding has always been about taking ownership.
   - Be it ownership for property and products like the past or new add-ons like company values and what it represents like the current.
2. Branding has always been about the conveyance of information
   - Information about quality, and information to indicate the origin of the product (which sometimes includes differentiation information to help with the logistical functions of marketing, i.e., sorting, storage, transportation, etc.).

The Evolution of Branding

Let’s move through time and understanding the journey and evolution of branding. Starting with:

Early Bronze IV: 2250–2000 BCE — The Indus Valley

1. The Middle Bronze Age: 2000–1500 BCE- Shang China

• Brands were also used to identify goods
• Livestock owners started burning imprints on their cattle to mark them.
• Pottery makers used different engravings to identify their ownership of the goods, the materials used, and it’s production origins.

2. THE LATE BRONZE AGE: 1500–1000 BCE — CYPRUS

• Trade and commerce began to thrive and grow in the eastern Mediterranean, which became the new focus of economic activity.

1. THE IRON AGE REVOLUTION: 1000–500 BCE — TYRE
2. THE IRON AGE: GREECE: 825–336 BCE
3. MODERN — THE 20th CENTURY

• In the 1950s, companies like Procter & Gamble, General Foods, and Unilever developed the concept of brand management.
• By 1952, the “Mad Men” era, TV ad revenue surpassed magazine and radio ad sales, ushering in the Golden Age of Advertising.
• The longer, live-action format of the Television ads allowed brands to do more than ask consumers to buy their products. They could make an emotional appeal.
• In 1984, Apple changed the branding game once again during its Super Bowl commercial. It’s the brand strategy of this ad that made it special; The revolutionary storytelling ad encouraged viewers to break free from conformity. It wasn’t just about the Macintosh that they were introducing it was all about the brand and what it wanted customers to feel. The product was only featured at the very last few seconds.

Today, branding isn’t just something individuals or entities do; it is something they can own. And it changed everything.

Let’s talk about Design and Branding or start-ups! Connect with me via Linkedin.