A great way to grasp the importance of branding is to think about singers. There are those who sound like no one else (Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Lou Rawls), and no one has trouble identifying them. In fact, when you read those names, you could probably hear their voices in your head. That’s a good brand – an instantly identifiable entity that arouses specific feelings in the consumer. Now think of all the singers or bands without a really distinctive sound. That’s a less effective brand – one which has to struggle to be heard in a crowded marketplace. If your brand were a singer, who would it be?