I hear this sentence all the time: “I don’t know what a brand is, but I don’t think I need one.” I decided to take this opportunity to try to define the concept of branding to explain why you need a brand.

In a way, it’s like explaining why we need air. So, please hang in there with me, and let me know if what follows makes sense.

How can you recognize a brand? Raise your hand if you recognize the car in the photo to the left. If you didn’t raise your hand, you know that it’s a sporty-looking car. Just looking at the car, for all you know, it could be a hybrid with a top speed of 60 miles an hour. That could be your perception just from looking at the photo.

If you did raise your hand, you know that you’re looking at an Aston Martin. A 2010 DB9 Volante, to be exact. And, now that the rest of you know it’s an Aston Martin, you probably have quite a different perception of the vehicle.

What do you know about Aston Martins? If you’re a car buff at all, you know that James Bond was fond of Aston Martins. So, does that fact make you feel differently about the car than when you thought it might be a hybrid? Indeed. Why?

Because you now perceive the car to be a hot sports car, capable of making beautiful women swoon, achieving high rates of speed, completing very sharp turns, and, in the hands of  “Q,” launching rockets. And that perception is reinforced by other things you may know if you are a car buff.

– See more at: http://www.inman.com/next/planting-the-seeds-of-brand-perception-agents-must-be-the-aston-martins-of-real-estate/#sthash.LBy4fAih.dpuf