Branding is one of the most important aspects of building a successful business. I tend to think of branding as logo, colors and matching shirts, but it is actually a much more complex concept. It is actually the whole package of a company. Companies with a good brand have recognizable colors and imagery, but they also have a positive reputation with their customer base for providing excellent products or services and customer service skills. To me, how adept a business is at handling complaints or mistakes is one of the top indicators of a successful business, and it definitely determines whether I will make future transactions with their company. It takes all areas working together properly to build a reliable client population: employees, imagery, product/service quality, customer service, price.
The following link has a clear and succinct explanation of the broader definition of branding along with a few examples to clarify.
http://www.carolroth.com/blog/branding-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly/
