“If an axe had a soul, its soul would be cutting”

In the words of Harvard Prof. Rosabeth Moss Kanter “Brands are wonderful assets when they capture the essence of a product, service, or event succinctly, meaningfully, and with endurance over time.”

What are brands really? Brands are mostly extension of companies? What are companies? What do they do? Most of them make and sell products. Again, what are products? Most products are essentially an extension to us, human beings. For instance, chop sticks, an extension to our fingers. A shovel is an extension of our hand. Our hands can probably dig a clever hole; however use of a shovel saves us a lot of time and energy. A mechanical crane is again an extension to shovel and to our hand, used for much larger task. Each product extends the hand to do a different, difficult or a complex task. Similarly a bicycle, a car and a train extend our foot. A computer extends our brain and so on. Some products are personal, like cloths which extend our skin. Some are intensely personal like soaps, body lotions, razors which protect or beautify our skin. Some products can be public, like a mall, an office building. Most products extend human potential and amplify our natural capabilities. And this is exactly where one should start defining their brand. Identify the soul of your brand and you’ll see a clear picture of your brand identity. Plato believed what we really are, is our soul, and that this soul will survive after death. A clear understanding of the brand and its soul will ensure its consistency and longevity.

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