Marketing is one of the great but necessary banes of the modern man. In this writer’s opinion, advertisements are some of the ugliest things in the world, and generally, brands are as well.

That’s why branding is so interesting to me. Branding, as elegantly put in this article, is the promise you make to your customer when they buy your product. A brand assures the quality of the product, as that product defines itself as the exemplary example of its own product. The picture at the top of this article is the number of brand-name items I found in my living room after a night with my friends.

For example, one of the largest brands out there is Coca-Cola. One of the most recognizable brand names on the planet, Coke has become synonymous in some places with soda itself. The logo and patented recipe for Coca-Cola promise the same excellent soft drink every time. I want a Coke now after reading this, and I can see the bottle in my head clear as day.

Branding is extremely powerful and extremely important, but useless without a good marketing strategy.  This article from Fortune outlines four steps to an effective marketing strategy for your small business.

“Small business?” you ask.

Yes. Small business.

I forgot to mention, branding works for any company, whether it be Coca-Cola or Campbell’s tobacconist shop in East Lansing. Campbell’s is a small, privately owned business that’s been in town since 1956, and their own brand rings a bell with many, many people within a city. It’s generally known that when you need a cigar, Campbell’s is your best bet. And it’s all in their brand.

This is a matchbox from Campbell’s Smoke Shop. They chose a direction that they wanted to go with their brand, in this case comfortable and recognizable, made a unique, colorful and easy-to remember logo (not to mention relevant, as the store’s bright red front door is the most defining feature) that even selected a font that makes you think of the wooden interior and various trinkets inside.