The evolution of branding

This article provides a brief history of brands, which, in their modern sense, originated in the mid-19th century.

The evolution of branding

Giep Franzen

Brands in their modern sense originated in the mid-19th century. Since then, branding has evolved through a number of stages to reach the dominant role and position it has today. Six stages can be distinguished:

1850 – .... IDENTIFICATION BRANDING

The early brands represented the makers of categories and products. Their primary function was to give security about quality, quantity, composition, and price. Competition was based on generic attributes.

1950 – .... BENEFIT BRANDING

Brands became representatives of unique product attributes (Unique Selling Proposition-principle). Different brands were developed to represent different attributes. Segmentation and...

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