Phil Knight, NIKE co-founder and chairman, has referred to one of the most recognizable professional basketball players of all time as “brand Michael Jordan.” While it may be astonishing to think that any one person can be a brand, it is also an important lesson in the power of effective marketing. For millions of fans, the reference to Michael Jordan evokes an image known as “Jumpman.” It is unlikely that many fans know the name of this famous silhouette, but they recognize the image. More importantly from a marketing perspective, they know the name of the company with which the image is associated.
Mention “branding” to people and it is not unusual for them to respond with a reference to a visual image. If sports are not your thing, think soft drinks, telecommunications or car companies, and usually what comes to mind is visual: a logo, label, photo, or illustration.
The first two installments of this series on branding focused primarily on defining and describing branding as the overall customer experience. This article concludes the series with an emphasis on defining branding in a more specific way — namely, how a company presents itself in the collective media.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
