How the brand owner wants the consumer to perceive the brand and by extension the branded company, organisation, product or service. The brand owner will seek to bridge the gap between the brand image and the brand identity.
Brand identity is fundamental to consumer recognition and symbolizes the brand´s differentiation from competitors.
Brand identity may be defined as simply the outward expression of the brand, such as name and visual appearance. Some practitioners however define brand identity as not only outward expression (or physical facet), but also in terms of the values a brand carries in the eye of the consumer. On the externalization side brand identity consists of physical facet, relationship and reflected consumer.
On the internalization side brand identity consists of personality, culture (values) and consumer mentalisation.
