Please explain...do "BRAND" and "COMPANY" mean the same thing?

Question

There are some things I'm confused with the word "brand." I've broken them down into two parts below...

1) When we want to find out the company of someone's shirt, we say "what brand is your shirt?"
Does that also mean we can say "what brand is your car?" to ask about the car company, for example?
If not, does the word "brand" only apply to certain types of companies only?

2) Sometimes people say "brand" to implicate the whole company itself, and sometimes a certain line of products within a company (which makes it even more confusing). Is this correct?

For example, I've seen editors that refer to a popular videogame series from a company as a "brand." So, "Pokemon" and "Zelda" are Nintendo's brands.

Answer 1

Brand vs. Company
1) When we want to find out the company of someone's shirt, we say "what brand is your shirt?"
Does that also mean we can say "what brand is your car?" to ask about the car company, for example?
If not, does the word "brand" only apply to certain types of companies only?

Let's start with, in the context of your question, Company first: a company is the enterprise in business. It could be a sole propriety, a partnership or a corporation. The company may be made up by one or more persons. Now it is up to the company if they want to have a brand for
1. itself, and,
2. the ideas/products/services they provide.

Because the company's mere name could be enough of a 'brand' - the selling of the idea. Like Trump, say, if you see a Trump building, you would think of the company because it has a "branding" effect.
And when you ask "what brand is your shirt?" you could be asking "who made the shirt?" also. There's the interchangeability.

Brand is a label. It gives a name to the product or service, or simply the mere idea a company, that could be a corporation, or, a partnership, or, a sole proprietor, is trying to push or sell, which could also be the company itself. A brand's purpose is to sell an idea and a good brand makes it easy to represent the business or organisation or indeed company that is selling the idea, may it come in a form of a shirt or a car or a service, or a person, like 'Oprah'. Brands usually represent the personality and quality of the producer/owner of the brand.

2) Sometimes people say "brand" to implicate the whole company itself
-this is quite true, when this happens, the listener is given the impression of the company's personality, quality, etc. It's easier to do so instead of mentioning the names of the people in it. For this case, "company-wise", the brand represents the people of the company, too. Like, "we here at the Savoy would like to make your stay a luxury." you think not only of the hotel, but the people, the service, the rooms, the whole idea of the brand of the hotel.

and sometimes a certain line of products within a company (which makes it even more confusing). Is this correct?
-good point: You see - a company could have more than one brand. Look at it this way: Unilever is a company. They produce 400 million different things. Now break down these millions of products to make it easier not only to produce but to market and sell, hence, Unilever owns brands like Elizabeth Arden, Ben and Jerry's, PG Tips, I can't believe it's not butter, etc. These are very different products, each with their own different brand but they're all from the same company.

For example, I've seen editors that refer to a popular videogame series from a company as a "brand." So, "Pokemon" and "Zelda" are Nintendo's brands
-Absolutely correct. Nintendo owns these brands and each brand is represented by its line of games, toys, cards, etc. To make it easier to organise, they give brands to each line that upholds the idea of "Pokemon", "Zelda", etc. Like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a brand but also each of them, Leonardo to Raphael is a brand by himself.
I hope that helped.
This is a finely asked question.

Answer 2

The brand is also used to refer to the marketing around a company.. the hype. So, for example, the brand of Nike is used to describe a lifestyle, rather than just the clothing, shoes, etc.

Marketing people often have the term "Live the Brand".. i.e. live the lifestyle conveyed by the brand you're marketing.

A company is just the building and the people. The brand is something beyond that - like the concept.

Answer 3

Brands and companies do not mean the same thing, and it is often confusing on puropse!

As an example, Johnson and Johnson, is a very large company, with many subdivisions, producing a variety of products under different "brand names" For example, they produce several brands of laundry detergent, but all under the same main company.

Another example, you mentioned clothing. Levi was the origional creator of jeans, but Levi has several "brands" of jeans.

Clothing companies are also a good example. Express, Layne-Bryant, the Limited are all store brands selling different types of clothing, but all are owned by the same main corporation.

Chanel is a company, that produces clothing, make-up and colognes and perfumes, Chanel No. 5, Coco, just to name a few.

Hope this helps clarify this confusing topic!

Answer 4

the 'company' relates to the main corporation that oversees manufacture and distribution, one company can sell several 'brands'
if you are simply asking someone what sort of shirt is that, then they will be inclined to give you the brand name as that is the one under which it is marketed
clear as mud? lol