Thinking of the brand as reputation can help us understand more clearly how to build it, design it, model it, and protect it. This is a reflection born from reading Marty Neumeier's books.

While personal reputation is a matter of fact and, as such, can be managed, commercial reputation (asset) requires the coordinated effort of multiple people with different visions and capabilities. Today, in a rapidly changing and constantly accelerating world, brands and branding find in Marty Neumeier’s three books “The brand gap”, “The flip brand”, “Zag”A lucid and interesting analysis and interpretation. In particular, Neumeier questions the risk/opportunity that fake news offers to a brand’s reputation.”.
Having control over the dissemination of news and therefore over the perception of the brand is rather difficult, especially nowadays where words like virality, connectivity, smartphones, transparency, selfies, social media, inclusiveness, and disruption have become commonplace.

The central problem therefore concerns the alignment of the business strategy with the experience of consumers, who, thanks to technology, have extraordinarily increased their power of judgment, criticism, and choice. Brands are therefore forced to relate to the external context and to devise strategies to attract the attention of an heterogeneous, constantly evolving consumer.

It is a completely new, integrated, bold and consistent marketing that must be able to listen and understand the latent needs of consumers, almost the opposite, says Neumeier, compared to traditional models: customers demand control over the products/services/companies they choose. Thus, we move from a company-brand – consumer-company model to a company-consumer – brand – company model.
Today we must necessarily define, if not exactly design, the profile of our customers not for who they are but for who they would like to be. Just think of the perception of Google and Apple products: “Google is to make people a little smarter, Apple is to make people more creative.” But also of the claim of the luxury hotel chain The Ritz-Carlton that reads “We’re ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.”

Modern customers are more skeptical about brand communications, relying instead on the “F factor” – friends, family, fans, followers (Kotler).
People’s attitudes towards the companies and products they come into contact with have changed: they are interested but skeptical, they want to dig deep. At the same time, however, companies are becoming increasingly large, global, distant, and sometimes even incomprehensible. It seems like a paradox.
Certainly, the key to success and creating value for shareholders is, today more than ever, putting their consumers first.
To regain trust, the brand must be authentic and transparently express its value. In this case, data helps to build a relationship with consumers, involving them, listening to them, talking to them, and discussing with them, making them their own fans.

Unlike brand name, branding is more manageable and controllable and includes all those marketing techniques (first and foremost design) that contribute to creating in the public a single, consistent strong brand perception. Such control, as Neumeier says, can and must be achieved in order to create the so-called Brand Experience through points of contact with the consumer that are coordinated, consistent and that help to express mental images and feelings.