Brands are all around us. Unless you live in seclusion, it is nearly impossible to go a day without coming in contact with a brand of some kind. And although people tend to not consciously swear loyalty to any one particular brand. Their subconscious mind is constantly making decisions about brands without them even knowing it. When they go to stores or shop online brands are influencing their decisions. You are making decisions based on your minds preferences toward specific brands.

Brands permeate our culture and some may argue that they even define shifts in the way we think, act or view others. Trendsetters and tastemakers who have the ability to influence millions of people, are they themselves influenced by brands. Acting as human amplifiers, they take simple ideas, simple representations and elevate them to near godly levels.

And these brands aren’t just seen, they are spoken. The essence of a brand is often heard through radio, television and other mechanisms of media. A brand is both the visual and verbal representation of what any company or organization claims to be, or hopes to be in the future. They are the culmination of hours of discussion and deliberation. Every adjustment is evidence of a belabored effort to improve and perfect.

Influencing Factors

The trajectory of any brand is influenced by many factors. These include   the obvious ones, business and financial related adjustments. A company or organization’s mission or vision can also influence brand adjustments. But there are also a myriad of not so obvious factors that influence the evolution of a brand. Social, political, cultural and even regional factors that

The complexities of any brand are not fully realized when they are taken at face value. To truly understand the path of evolution that brands take we must first understand the underlying structures that drive them. After all, changes to any brand, large or small, is a costly endeavor with the average for large companies costing upwards of $50,000 to $100,000 or more. Although it is not always apparent to consumers, the process is most always executed with purpose usually due to a significant change in the structure or leadership.

Singular brands tend to follow a relatively simple evolutionary path. One that is driven primarily by changes in visual trends, cultural influences and sometimes even the geographic locations they are being used.

Larger brands are often divided into a more complex series of sub-brands and therefore follow a different evolutionary path. This