Brand Strategies That Work
One could be forgiven for thinking the concept of branding was created in smoky Madison Avenue offices in the 1950s by iconic ad men like David Ogilvy and William Bernbach. In reality, however, the earliest examples of brands date to around 2700 BCE. In Ancient Egypt, farmers seared their cattle’s hides with smoldering wood, leaving a distinct mark — or brand — that verified ownership. Over time, the primitive marking practice evolved beyond cattle and onto product containers, mostly for wine and oil. Eventually, the marks’ significance expanded to convey information about the products’ creators and quality to shoppers in crowded marketplaces across Mesopotamia, the Roman Empire, and beyond. With this humble act of differentiation, “ branding ” as we know it today was born. The crude etchings served as a mark of authenticity, an indication of contents, and, in a sense, a promise to consumers, all of which separated a product from others like it. Proto-branding practices evolved only m...