Brief introduction to how brands emerged and evolved throughout history.
A word of Viking origin – BRANDR – referred to a burning tool used for marking.
In the Middle Ages, it was commonly used to brand livestock as a distinctive sign of ownership and as a way to identify and discourage theft. Today, it has preserved its core functions, the most important being the idea of belonging. A branded object signifies originality and ownership – attributes that set it apart from the rest.
Antiquity
However, much earlier, in ancient times, the mark (in this case, in the form of a stamp) was used as a symbol of quality and origin. Producers (potters, craftsmen, blacksmiths, farmers) would mark their goods with their own symbols, allowing buyers to decipher these markings to learn about the origin of the items, their quality, and their maker.
Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, symbols and drawings were used to signify belonging to craft guilds, noble families, and administrative territories. Coats of arms, intricate hereditary symbols that tell the story of a family’s history, alliances, and qualities, were initially used on shields for recognition and differentiation on the battlefield. Today, they endure as symbols of a rich and ancient history..
The Industrial Revolution
The rise of mass production, driven by increased efficiency and technology, brought a multitude of products to the market, resulting in more options for consumers. Competition forced companies to take action, highlighting their products over the rest while also protecting them. Thus, in a relatively short period, major industrialized countries began establishing legal frameworks to protect registered trademarks (France 1857, England 1862, USA 1870). This marks the beginning of modern branding, which allowed companies to officially claim their products as property, distinguish themselves from competitors, and be protected from counterfeits and imitations.
Before legal frameworks were established to protect trademarks, major companies relied on their names and promoted themselves through newspaper ads, posters, and billboards. Company names were often those of their founders, sometimes inventors, or even geographical regions.
Advertising was primarily based on written messages, with decorative elements being introduced later on. In the adjacent image, we see Colgate’s first newspaper ad published in New York in 1817 (source) alongside an ad placed more than half a century later in the newspaper ”The Indianapolis”- 18 October 1891 (source).
Advertising during the industrial era relied heavily on print: newspapers, billboards, and posters crowded onto building walls.
The pioneer of international brand marketing was Bass. The company differentiated its beer bottles based on the brewery they came from by using a white, red, or blue triangle. The Bass Red Triangle became the first trademark officially registered in England under the Trade Marks Registration Act of 1875.
Édouard Manet painted A Bar at the Folies-Bergère in 1882, considered to be his last major work, exhibited the same year at the Paris Salon. The painting captures a nighttime scene at the Folies-Bergère nightclub in Paris. In the lower part of the painting, particularly on the right, Bass beer bottles can be seen. Bass is not only the first officially registered logo – it is also the first brand to appear in a work of art.
The Invention Era
The early 20th century reflects many facets of humanity – from wars and inventions to the emergence and rise of iconic brands such as Coca-Cola, Michelin, Ford Motor Company, Chanel, Marks & Spencer, and Lego.
Although the concept of a branding agency was still a few decades away from being born, advertising agencies played a key role in building brand awareness. They were responsible for graphic creations, slogans, and taglines, as well as for selling as much advertising space as possible for the brands they represented.
Every major brand earned its audience through posters and billboards, later expanding its reach by using newly emerging media channels: radio and television
The Media Effect
The first radio commercial aired in the U.S. in 1922 and was commissioned by the Queensboro Corporation to promote apartment sales in Jackson Heights. The cost for 50 minutes of airtime was $50. This marked the beginning of radio advertising, and by 1930, nearly all radio stations in the U.S. were broadcasting ads and sponsored programs.
In other parts of the world, radio advertising wasn’t as widely adopted. Although the BBC held control over British radio frequencies for many years – and was, ironically, founded in 1922 – it didn’t air its first sponsored advertisement until 1973.
The first television commercial aired in 1941 and was created by Bulova Watches, marking the beginning of the TV advertising era. Other commercials from the 1940s and 1950s can be viewed here.
The Rise of Consumerism – The 1950s
The early 1950s marked the beginning of consumer culture. In the U.S., the middle class was thriving, the auto industry was rapidly expanding, and the introduction of color television in 1953 brought brands directly into people’s homes.
Televised advertising pioneer Rosser Reeves introduced the concept of the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) – not to be confused with a slogan. This advertising strategy involved identifying a product’s most distinctive and representative attribute, then consistently highlighting it across all media channels to engrain it in the consumer’s mind through repetition.
Example: M&M’s – “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.”
Ten years later, the approach to advertising changed radically, shifting toward emotional impact. During this period, companies began to understand the importance of brand strategy and effective brand management, tools that helped them study their target consumer groups, understand their audiences, and create emotional connections between products and consumers.
This is the moment when the brand becomes a standalone entity – one that embodies everything the consumer seeks: emotions, aspirations, desires, and a sense of belonging.
Consumerism, globalization, and adaptation (1960–1990)
In the early 1960s, the US produced almost half of the planet’s goods, and as the economy boomed, incomes grew alongside new ranges of services and products
Example: In the fast-food industry, Mc Donald’s became one of the largest fast-food chains globally, with consistent and memorable branding, the “golden arches” later transposed into the letter “M”, becoming one of the most recognizable international symbols.
Another example of the rise in consumerism is seen in the retail industry, through the emergence of store chains both in Europe and the USA (Carrefour and Walmart).
Brands begin to expand internationally (L’Oréal, Coca-Cola, Nike).
Buyers are no longer just consumers of goods, but brand consumers, and the brand takes on multiple dimensions. Beyond the product attributes- quality, durability, freshness, appearance, etc., the brand offers experience and a sense of belonging, making the choice a personal preference.
Brand loyalty and brand personality now begin to dictate the success of businesses.
Most global brands today are strong because, starting from the second half of the last century, they managed to turn consumption into a lifestyle based on choice. People are shifting from passive consumers to active targets of brand messages..
The 90s – the birth of the internet
Classic advertising media – print and television -remain the most powerful advertising tools, but a new opportunity is gradually taking shape: the internet. It is the calm before the digital storm.
In 1991, the World Wide Web was launched, and it gained popularity in 1994 thanks to Netscape – the first browser that began to harness the potential of the new “www”.
As the number of users grew, other search engines began to emerge, along with email services: Yahoo in 1994 and Google in 1997.
ChatGPT said:
These tools supported marketing efforts and foreshadowed the mass adoption of the internet in everyday life, an event that radically changed the way brands are displayed and experienced.
2000 / present / future
The first decade of the new millennium brought the most successful social media platforms: LinkedIn (2002), Myspace (2003), Facebook (2004), Twitter (2007), and Instagram (2010).
It was time for brands to become increasingly creative in order to stand out within communities and build lasting engagement.
This is the era where consumers hold the power. Reviews and ratings play a decisive role, with the ability to influence how a brand is perceived. Marketing must now involve customers in long-term relationships, ongoing conversations, and the building of strong brand loyalty. Reputation is shaped by consumers, who have become both critics and promoters.
The brand’s mission has taken on new dimensions – it’s no longer enough to simply deliver quality products or services, sensations, and emotions. Brands are also expected to support social causes that transcend the individual sphere.
Example: In January 2019, Gillette updated its 30-year-old slogan from “The best a man can get” to “The best men can be,” alongside an advertising campaign supporting the #MeToo movement. The campaign addressed societal issues such as sexual harassment, bullying, and toxic masculinity. On this occasion, the brand demonstrated its commitment to the cause by pledging $1 million over three years to non-profit organizations that educate and support men of all ages in becoming their best selves and role models for the next generation.
Digitalization has opened unimaginable frontiers for brands, and social media has taken over all advertising channels, becoming the most powerful marketing tool – as well as a massive generator of data.
Today, branding has taken on new dimensions and complexities. The challenge lies in standing out and finding ways to cut through the noise.
A consistent brand, one that is adapted to the present and the future, must communicate its core messages with clarity and transparency, stay resilient amid paradigm shifts, and attract through both aesthetics and values.
Author: Ana Armeanu, November 2020