Why do we like Shoes of a particular brand? Ketchup of a particular brand? Even our hangout places stay consistent for a period of time. Humans are creatures of habit.  If we like something we stick to it. The main question arises is ‘why do we buy what we buy’?

The answer is our ‘identity’. We experience things over time and figure out our likes and dislikes, then we carry it forward using it as a foundation to judge and analyze our future experiences.  We set beliefs, principles, purpose, ambitions according to our likes and dislikes, and the gross of it creates our identity. It makes up who we know ourselves as.

Similarly, a brand is not an enterprise, it is an idea of the world that the brand creator wants to live in. A brand is an extension of its creator’s identity. It has a purpose, a mission, a vision, a set of beliefs; just like us. It is competitive, creative and has a unique identity as well.

Nike is a major brand that supports the idea of being first and the best. By enhancing apparel technology to be less resistant, Nike creates products that enhance and aid your performance. Phil Knight, Nike’s founder, says “Dream audaciously. Have the courage to fail forward. Act with urgency.” and the tagline for Nike is “Just do it”. The creator and the brand share the same belief and even talk the same way.

For Adidas, a direct competitor of Nike, passion is more important than action. BMW is about performance  driven cars while Mercedes focuses on raising and maintaining standards. These brands, unlike most companies in the world, don’t just sell products. They share their beliefs and values; and whoever resonates with tem, eventually become loyal customers. 

These parameters of identity come under ‘Internal branding’. Internal branding is a critical thing that most of the companies around the world lack. That’s where the major difference lies between a company and a brand. A brand is a living growing entity that changes with time while a company is a fixed legally allowed product or service seller. Internal branding focuses on building a company on the foundation of set beliefs and purpose. Which is followed throughout the company personnel and language. This helps the company to scope down their target market. Big brands don’t make products for everyone, but small businesses do. Narrowing the market helps a big brand to talk on personal levels, as the unique selling point of the company is also a unique part of the customer’s identity. A Nike shoe owner also believes in taking action just like the brand or an Adidas customer always talks and does things with passion. The purpose of a brand is not to reach a global audience but to reach the right audience. 

The most integral part of a brand is its language.  Language is everything about a particular brand that we see such as- taglines, ads, graphics etc. The language is a reflection of a brand’s identity. It talks, shows and services the same way as the creator intended. Its language doesn’t change with the change of company’s personnel.

The brand-customer relationship is sharing of an identity while the product is just a catalyst. We choose everything by filtering it through our identity. Our friends, careers, hobbies, all of it compliments us. Brands follow this mantra as well- We are a certain type of individuals, who do certain types of things. Companies who know and imply these things, become essential brands and compliment our identity. And That’s why we buy what we buy.