Modern Brand Concepts

Build a brand that stands for something – and stays top of mind.

Today’s most powerful brands don’t just sell – they speak up, stand out, and connect deeply. From authentic activism and purpose-driven strategy to customer-based brand equity and awareness, this section reveals how to build a brand that resonates with values, earns trust, and commands attention.

21. Brand Activism
Brand activism represents a fundamental shift from traditional corporate social responsibility to taking explicit public stances on social, environmental, or political issues. As research shows, “Activist brands are perceived as purpose- and value-oriented entities that can influence the morality of others.” This involves not just supporting causes through donations but actively advocating for change through campaigns, policy positions, and business practices. Effective brand activism requires authentic commitment (actions matching rhetoric), stakeholder alignment (employees, customers, and investors support the stance), calculated risk-taking (accepting potential backlash), and measurable impact (demonstrating real change). The rise of conscious consumers, particularly among younger demographics, makes activism increasingly important for brand relevance, though brands must navigate polarisation risks carefully. Source: Sibai, O., Mimoun, L., & Boukis, A. (2021). “Authenticating brand activism.” Journal of Business Ethics, 172(4).

22. Purpose-Driven Branding
Purpose-driven branding places mission and values at the centre of all business decisions, following Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle model that advocates starting with “why” before addressing “how” and “what.” This approach views profit as an outcome of fulfilling purpose rather than the primary objective. Successful purpose-driven brands identify genuine societal tensions they can address, embed purpose into business models (not just marketing), measure impact alongside financial metrics, engage employees as purpose ambassadors, and communicate authentically without “purpose- washing.” Research demonstrates that purpose-driven companies outperform peers in stock price, revenue growth, and talent attraction, particularly as stakeholder capitalism gains prominence over shareholder primacy. Source: Sinek, S. (2009). Start With Why. Portfolio/Penguin.

23. Brand Authenticity
Brand authenticity has become crucial as consumers increasingly value transparency and genuine behaviour from companies. Research indicates that “authenticity in brand activism can only be achieved through organisational authenticity”—meaning surface-level campaigns without deep organisational commitment ring hollow. Authentic brands demonstrate consistency between internal culture and external messaging, transparency about capabilities and limitations, genuine commitment to stated values, acknowledgment of mistakes and continuous improvement, and heritage respect whilst embracing relevant evolution. Building authenticity requires long-term thinking, employee empowerment to live brand values, supply chain alignment with brand promises, and resistance to trend-chasing that contradicts core identity. Source: Sibai, O., Mimoun, L., & Boukis, A. (2021). Journal of Business Ethics, 172(4).

24. Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE)
Keller’s Customer-Based Brand Equity model provides a systematic approach to building strong brands through four sequential steps forming a pyramid. The foundation requires establishing brand salience (identity and awareness). The second level builds brand meaning through performance (functional needs) and imagery (psychological needs). The third level elicits positive brand responses through judgments (quality, credibility, consideration, superiority) and feelings (warmth, fun, excitement, security, social approval, self-respect). The pinnacle achieves brand resonance—intense, active loyalty characterised by behavioural loyalty, attitudinal attachment, sense of community, and active engagement. This consumer psychology-based approach emphasises that brand strength ultimately resides in customers’ minds and hearts. Source: Keller, K.L. (2013). Strategic Brand Management (4th ed.). Pearson Education.

25. Brand Awareness
Brand awareness represents “the ability for a buyer to recognise or recall that a brand is a member of a certain product category” – the foundational building block of brand equity. It operates at multiple levels: brand recognition (identifying the brand when exposed to it), brand recall (retrieving the brand from memory when prompted by the category), top-of-mind awareness (first brand recalled), and brand dominance (only brand recalled). Building awareness requires consistent presence across relevant touchpoints, distinctive brand assets that aid memory, repetition balanced with engagement to avoid irritation, and strategic media placement where category buyers are present. In digital contexts, awareness strategies increasingly emphasise earned media, influencer partnerships, and viral content alongside traditional advertising. Source: Keller, K.L. (2013). Strategic Brand Management (4th ed.). Pearson Education. Managing Brand Equity. The Free Press.

This leads us on to explaining the meaning of Differentiation Concepts