I recently heard this expression on a branding forum and felt it encapsulated the way we feel about brands. So many businesses think their brand is a mark which they use merely to identify themselves. But as we explain in our Brandschool™ workshops – true brands consider the whole customer experience and the interaction they have with their business.

Brands have a DNA made up of the places and spaces they occupy, the people and behaviour within the business and how they talk and interact. They are made and built by the people within the business, who provide a unique personality and culture. As a customer of a brand you decide firstly how relevant they are to you closely followed by how you feel about them. If you like them, you’ll engage with them. If you don’t, the likelihood is that you won’t.

So perhaps everyone should start viewing brands as alive – A living, breathing organism, and likening them to people, not businesses – ‘building brands with a pulse’

We’ll make this a regular feature for discussion and continue to post examples of people who ‘live the brand’ any suggestions we’d love to hear them hello@10associates.co.uk