[The American Brands Council]
Cheryl Berman
Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett U.S.A.
Brands live and breathe. They flourish, prosper,
stumble, and gasp. Brands get sick and brands
get well. Brands grow tired and old, and sometimes
a brand dies right before our very eyes.
Brands need love, passion, and loyalty to survive.
To become great brands, they need a potent,
active belief by consumers that their brands are
the ones to be trusted, brands that always deliver
on promises. Their brands even reflect consumers’
own self-image, as all of our collective
brand choices work together to inform each person’s
own brand.
Great brands know who they are and behave
as such, consistently delivering their promise, yet
constantly evolving to stay relevant and meaningful.
Great brands never sit still. They grow
because they make choices that others hesitate to
make. They thrive by embedding themselves in
our culture and becoming an integral part of consumers’
lives.
No matter what we may read or hear, a great
brand can never be owned by some holding company
or corporation. It is and always will be
owned by the people who believe in it.
