Home topics news News News Lets talk about what ‘brand’ really means Rick Marton December 2, 2011 I’m always amazed at how many ‘experienced’ business leaders misunderstand the meaning of ‘brand’. It’s not their fault, it is a relatively newly used term…many are just hooked in to the idea that it’s a fluffy little tool as used by marketing that has very little to do with the ‘important’ parts of the business. Meanwhile they’re wondering about things like “Why don’t our staff have any initiative?”, “The carbon tax is stopping spending” and “Quick we better have another sale, no one is buying anything!” I apologise for generalising, but the misunderstanding has many business leaders, including those earning salaries of seven figures, struggling to adapt to a world that has shifted dramatically and is continuing to do so. So…I thought what better way to start writing for Dynamic Business than to share the opportunity that lies for small and medium businesses. Whilst the big boys are grappling with a rapidly changing world and trying to figure out how to turn their big ships around, the little guys can be more agile, do it right and work their way in to the hearts and minds of consumers. There is a divide getting bigger by the day between leaders that understand the power to the consumer (and thus brand), and those that believe that all strategy is firstly about profit and economics. There are businesses that continued to grow during the GFC like