A brand is a promise. A reputation is what happened to that promise.

There are brand architects, branding experts, companies that work to reinforce your brand capital or even your digital brand capital. There is personal branding. There is something called brand asset.

On the other hand, there are reputation managers and public relations (or: reputation) offices. The current hype is online reputation management. Some companies in the US even have a CRO, a Chief Reputation Officer.

A brand has a reputation. A reputation can affect brand and brand sales, and the power of a brand can make reputation management easier. A strong brand has a “buffer” (or: airbag) to counter reputation damage.

But what, exactly, is the correlation between a brand and a reputation? A friend gets this week’s brownie points and whuffie for his take:

A brand is a promise. A reputation is what happened to that promise.

A brand has a promise (or, maybe even better: a purpose). The way a brand lives up to this promise builds a brand’s reputation.

What makes it even more awkward: if reputation and branding are so closely related, why are there branding companies AND reputation management companies?

Written in 2009, left as it was. Where I took it later: Acts, not ads.

Original: A brand is a promise. A reputation is what happened to that promise, 10 August 2009. Historical links may no longer work.