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Brand meaning can best be described as “the most definitive or core attributes of the brand that the
consumers perceive”. Brand meaning can be considered equal to brand association meaning what a
consumer associates with a certain brand. There are different attributes ascribed to why consumers
have certain perceptions toward a brand. Consumers use brands to feel a certain way about themselves.
For example if a celebrity were to wear a certain brand a consumer would opt to acquire an image of
their beloved celebrity by using the same brand. Images and cognitions in a consumer’s memory also
cause the brand to acquire meaning. Direct sensory, personal experiences, sub-cultural associations, and
cultural associations are all different layers used by consumers to give meaning to brands. For this
reason more brands are looking towards emotional branding rather than rational branding. By doing this
brands are able to endure emotionally charged bonds with consumers.
Clifford Geertz defined brand culture as “a historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in
symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which mean
communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life.” In order for a
business to be successful it must first figure out its core values and understand why it exists. This should
not be solely based upon profits. Essentially a company must develop a worldview that it believes in and
act in accordance with it. For example if a food business believes in healthy living, every product, every
advertisement, public statement, and website should be congruent with a healthy lifestyle. Consumers
want to belong to something bigger than themselves. They will join a brands culture and participate in
the culture as a way of expressing who they are and what they believe in. An example of this is Apple.
People buy into apple because this brand represents a courageous, inventive, and intuitive approach to
life. If a consumer believes in this way of living they are more likely to buy the brand because of what it
represents
