Robert T. Blanchard of Procter & Gamble in his 1999 "Parting Essay"

There is humanity in branding.  Thank you Robert Blanchard for summing it up so well.

“A brand is the personification of a product, service or even entire company. Like any person, a brand has a physical “body”: in P&G’s case, the products and/or services it provides. Also, like a person, a brand has a name, a personality, character and a reputation. Like a person, you can respect, like and even love a brand. You can think of it as a deep personal friend, or merely an acquaintance. You can view it as dependable or undependable; principled or opportunistic; caring or capricious.  Just as you like to be around certain people and not others, so also do you like to be with certain brands and not others.  Also, like a person, a brand must mature and change its product over time. But, its character, and core beliefs shouldn’t change. Neither should its fundamental personality and outlook on life.  People have character … so do brands. A person’s character flows from his or her integrity: the ability to deliver under pressure, the willingness to do what is right rather than what is expedient. You judge a person’s character by his/her past performance and the way he/she thinks and acts in both good times, and especially bad. The same is true of brands.”

Robert T. Blanchard of Procter & Gamble in his 1999 “Parting Essay”