By

Nur Suhaili Ramli

University of York, UK

The Brand in History

Branding become important in the last fifteen to twenty years but historically, it is much more longer than that!

In the nineteenth century, mass produced goods and hand-marked goods were much further produced because of the world events; World War, Industrial Revolution, Suez Canal, World Transport Revolution, Civil Wars, etc.

Branding has developed from property and ownership, origin and content of goods, values and reputations.

Introduction

Differential developments in packaging and printing technology are part of modern industrial nationhood, that differentiate countries like America, Britain, Japan, Germany and others.

This difference including the different in social, political, economic contexts of each country.

Therefore, the evolution of brand in history is much more longer than expected because of the differences in every part of the world.

Introduction

According to Mollerup (1997), brand-like marks existed long before industrialization that include monogram, earmarks, ceramic marks, hallmarks, watermarks and furniture marks.

Some of these marks have been traced to Ancient Greece and Rome.

It also indicate the ownership like people making their weapons or early craftsmen marking their products.

It also indicate the origin of goods for example the material used to produce the product, the way it made, the shape, colours, or craft. E.g China, Persian, Rome.

Early Evolution of Brand

Descriptive marks have been subject to detailed elaboration over time, with rules developing, particular qualities, composition and date of manufactured.

The historical emergence of the brand-like marking of goods was therefore fundamentally related to the expansion of empires.

Different region in the world has different perspective of marks – depending on the empire on the time.

According to Anderson (2000), branding and tattooing were used in South Asia as way of marking convicts and preventing them escaping or passing themselves off as indentured labourers.

Early Evolution of Brand

During this era, attractive design containers created the demand of the products.

According to Pavitt (2000), many of successful global brands established during this era, such as Heinz, Coca-cola, Levi’s, etc.

The development of packaging was itself a major force in the shift from local agriculture to corporate food production at the turn of century.

The turn of century is again refer to important world events like Industrial Revolution, World War, Long Depression, Transport Revolution, etc.

Therefore, the values around mass-produced brand-name products that began at this time became connected and established.

Industrialization and Packaging Era

During the World War, some industries fallen down and some were rose like tin, canned food, coal, and many more.

This had increased the productivity of food industry such as Heinz brand.

Transportation like steamship, and trains were popular to deliver products (goods) in big quantity.

Many important world events during that time were connected and factors for a brand to be known.

World Events

According to Moor (2007), brand names and trademarks on packaged goods became central to the ‘Americanization’ by newly arrived immigrations and existing inhabitants living in rural American.

Therefore those brand names were often the most familiar and stable features of a strange new environment.

People were encourage to buy those brands to show loyalty to the country.

Based on this, the brands that made in American has been supported by their people had made the brands became important.

The American Context

The creation of the Empire Marketing Board, which was set up in 1926 – part of a broader ‘Empire Free Trade Crusade’ – spent huge amounts of money on poster and promotion.

To produce their own forms of imperial propaganda through their advertising and other marketing techniques.

According to McClintock (1995), it is clear that the period from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the Second World War saw a steady flow and concentrated effort on the part of government.

Therefore, we can see many tea, biscuit and tobacco companies displayed various images of national and imperial identity on their packaging.

The British Context

Both American and British has different approach – on their brands strategies.

In 1930s renewed effort by the British – series of British exhibitions was displayed and promoted.

To locate the essence of Britishness in the pre-industrial past.

In contrast, industrial design in America was developing rapidly during the interwar years, and taking on increasingly futuristic forms.

The changes were important to the development of branding which not only for packaging and advertising but the product itself.

From Packaging to Product Design

Impact of the Second World War on national economies meant that American was well placed to exert a considerable influence on the direction of industrial development.

Many countries received financial aid from American through Marshall Plan and some German companies were controlled by American capital.

Major Japanese industrialist (e.g. Soichiro Honda, employees of Matsushita and chairman of Hitachi) visited America to study its industrial organization and management techniques.

According to Woodham (1997), many American industrial designers were invited to spend period of time in Japan.

American products (goods) became popular and more successful global brand created from this country.

American Influence in Product Design

Anderson, C. (2000), ‘Godna: Inscribing Indian Convicts in the Nineteenth Century’, in Jane Caplan (ed.) Written on the Body: The Tattoo in European and American History, London: Reaktion.

McClintok, A. (1995). Imperial Leather: Race, Gender and Sexuality in the Colonial Contest, New York and London: Routledge.

Moor, L. (2007). The rise of brands. Berg. Mollerup, P. (1997), Marks of Excellence: The History and

Taxonomy of Trademarks, London: Phaidon. Pavitt, J., ed. (2000), Brand New, London: V&A

Publications. Woodham, J. (1997), Twentieth Century Design, Oxford:

OUP.

References