The answers to those last three questions are no, no and yes. Let's address the reasons why. 

The motivation behind brand building is financial. Successful brands are very, very profitable. More than that, many of them generate those profits year-in, year-out over decades. That success makes a brand, in its own right, equity in a business. Major consumer goods manufacturers list their brands in their report and accounts in the capital valuations section - carrying some big valuations, too. Manufacturers regularly sell brands - not the production plant, just the brands.

Thus the expenditure of no little time, effort and money on brand building shows a return both as income and capital growth. Any good financial advisor will tell you how rare a combination that is. Companies refer to marketing spend as "investing in our brands". It's not just glib, it's reality.

That's the upside. The downside is just as interesting. Businesses with strong brands withstand recessionary pressures better, because their margins stand up better to downward price pressure. Equally, a business with a powerful brand can recover faster from any self-inflicted mistakes (Marks & Spencer have largely managed it) and most important they can broaden the product and service range using that authoritative brand.

OK, enough of justification. Just exactly what is a brand and what's it got that a name alone lacks? When does a name become a brand? Apologies in advance if some of the following descends into ethereally vague marketing speak.

A brand gives a product intrinsic and extrinsic values enabling it to become a dynamic part of customers' lifestyles. They will pay more for their brand of choice because they perceive benefits in it which are valued in cash. Whilst some of those benefits are tangible, most are intangible. A brand may be some of the following: good value, high quality, reliable, modern, traditional, original, individual, stylish, sexy. You will note that all these words are highly subjective.

However, the key virtue of a brand is consistency: when you buy product X or shop at store Y, what you get is always good value or high quality or modern. This indeed is the origin of branding; when mass marketing first existed it needed a way to reassure customers that, yes, this is that product you bought before, it's just as good, look - the pack's the same size and colour and the name's in the same typeface. This consistency makes customers trust a brand, gives them faith in its promise - and there's that quasi-religious aspect of branding.

The brand-owner reinforces that consistency by stressing all his brand's values in every aspect of presentation to the customer: packaging, advertising, POS, literature and all other ancillary activities. At every opportunity the customer is reassured: "You have gained far more than the extra you have spent" or, indeed, "despite the low price this product is good enough to carry our brand".

Along with consistency you create uniqueness. Once you have sold a customer Mibrand, they have to come back to you if they want the identical item - it isn't available anywhere else. Do corporate buyers do this? Quite simply, yes. They bought your proposition the first time; the brand delivered its promise. It ain't broke, don't mend it.

What then are the tools for building a brand? Let's start by looking at advertising, because there's a perception that brand building is all about big budget advertising. Brands do spend in the media - because it works - it's that consistency thing again. Advertising is an inherent part of the brand development process but there are steps to take before that investment delivers the return.

It is essential to create an identity that defines your business, which is instantly recognisable and which can work in a whole host of settings. It can then become your corporate brand. If you feel that yours is dated or no longer reflects the qualities you are selling, a re-design is indicated. Don't be scared by this - brands develop their identity all the time.

In addition to the corporate brand you may well wish to have a product brand name(s). The key benefit of this route is that printwear products can have a relatively short life cycle and you don't want your corporate brand associated with an outdated line.

Don't get desperately hung up on creating brand names. What you build into the brand - its values - matter more than the name. Two examples: Rolls Royce is the name of a rich financier and a clever engineer put together but look what it means. Clever creatives would probably sneer at a business making software for micro computers that called itself Microsoft but...it doesn't need saying does it?

That said, brand names can tell customers about the product proposition. Kosset Carpets suggest luxury. If you want racking and you want it fast, you're going to pick Rapid Racking's number out of Yellow Pages. If you can create a name that has this type of benefit you can enhance the value of your brand. In these two cases the customer wouldn't expect bargain prices either - speed and luxury attract a premium.

Next apply your identity with rigour. Colours, typefaces, layout are always, always precisely the same. I can't stress this too much - if you're so-so about creating your corporate identity or lazy about its application, you'll never build a brand. I would also strongly recommend spending some money with a designer who has experience of developing brand identity. The final result will be better.

At the risk of teaching granny to suck eggs, the basic rules are to use clear typefaces and strong colour combinations. Consider the brands you personally like and by all means follow them. There is a further trick worth considering: use a dog as the brand symbol. No, I am not barking mad. Consistently three of the most successful UK brands are Dulux, Churchill Insurance and Andrex - all associated with man's best friend. They also feature very high on customer satisfaction surveys. There is zero logic in this, but I'm a great believer in copying what works in other business sectors.

Then apply it everywhere. Your stationery, vehicles and advertising are the obvious start points. At your premises, apply your brand identity at every opportunity where the customer's eyeline naturally goes to. So, from the pavement forward, this would include front of house signage, window displays/posters, decal on front door, floor graphics or, more expensively, woven into the carpet, point-of-sale material, ticketing, garment labelling.

How you present the delivered product is important whether it's two or three items sold retail or two thousand delivered to a business. For retail sales a carrier should act both as advertising for your brand and a style statement for the customer, publicly stating their allegiance to your brand. Make it worthy of that allegiance; think how people re-use Harrods bags and aim for the same value.

For corporate sales consider having boxes printed as the big brands do. At the very least apply big bold sticky labels. Corporate customers are as responsive to the brand promise as private individuals.

Most suppliers to P&P readers already have their own brands - some have several for various purposes. I believe that there is a serious business opportunity available to them in creating the brand building package for the more far-sighted printers and embroiderers. Therein lies a long-term commercial relationship. They should also look at the independent retail rag trade where small businesses have grown big by generating big sales from their own brands. Nor is this a threat to their own brands, or devaluing the investment they've put in. Far from it. Lots of businesses build a brand based on selling other people's high quality brands

My final reason for going down this route is about pride. It's one of the seven deadly sins but businesses with their own brand feel a sense of self-belief, of confidence, which others lack. That's a special ingredient in every sales opportunity - a winner.

 Putting the full brand package together is no five minute task. It evolves over time. But, to return to that religious thing, a brand is something you and your team can believe in and something your customers can trust. Fully exploited those sentiments are value you can take to the bank.

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