Branding

Branding is the practice of adding an artificial identity to a product, company, or person. Originally, branding referred to the practice of marking slaves or cattle with signs of property. Throughout the history of commerce, artisans and artists have branded their name onto their products as a way of accumulating a reputation. As a maker's mark, brands thus have a very long history, dating back to classical times. In the eighteenth century, a growing consumer society established a number of important brands, mostly for luxury goods. On the British market, Champagne and Bordeaux established themselves as important brand [Page 110]names for French wine (now sold by the bottle by specialized merchants), and they were collected by members by the aristocracy and the affluent bourgeoisie who ...