Listening to NPR this morning, I was struck by the ubiquity of the term “brand” in our culture. In the course of about 15 minutes, I heard discourse on Fred Thompson’s brand slipping away from him, and the fact that Olympic women’s ice skating brand was on the wane and needed some celebrity skater pick-me-up. In both cases, it was assumed the average listener understands that “brand” is shorthand for value and meaning, and that it holds equity that can grow or build, depending on how you manage it.

-Lynn Parker