Branding is a word that we use for so many facets in business and marketing today. But where did it get’s it start and why is it so important to focus on developing?

Before branding became the subject of cappuccino-fuelled debates in a trendy Cape Town café about whether a sans serif font feels friendlier than a serif, it was already alive and kicking. Only, back then, it involved actual fire, clay stamps, and marks pressed into pottery.

Long before hashtags and viral campaigns, ancient communities were marking livestock, tools, and trade goods. They were not chasing engagement rates but proving ownership, authenticity, and pride. A mark meant something. It told you who made it, where it came from, or which household it belonged to. Branding was already doing what it still does best: creating recognition and building trust.

The history of branding goes back thousands of years. It has never just been about logos or colour palettes. At its core, it has always been about saying: “This is mine. This is worth something. You can trust it.” That truth has not changed. What has changed is how deeply branding has woven itself into modern life.

It influences what coffee you buy, the car you drive, the series you binge-watch, and even the way you present yourself online. From a humble mark on a clay pot to the global lifestyle brands we know today, branding has shaped not only commerce but culture itself.

Let’s take a walk from the dusty hands of ancient makers to the curated feeds of Instagram to see how it all unfolded.

The word “brand” comes from the Old Norse “brandr”, meaning “to burn” and that’s exactly how it all started. Long before billboards and hashtags, branding was a physical, permanent act. Early herders used hot irons to mark their livestock, not because their goats had followers to impress, but to show ownership. It was simple and practical: “This is mine, not yours.” If a cow wandered off or was stolen, the burn mark made it clear who it belonged to. In many ways, this was the earliest form of brand recognition,  just not the kind you’d see on a billboard in Menlyn Maine.

This same logic carried over to trade. In ancient Egypt, merchants marked their goods with symbols to identify the source, especially when trading over long distances. This wasn’t just about ownership anymore, it was about reputation. Traders and artisans who consistently delivered quality began to be associated with their mark and just like that, the idea of a “trusted brand” was born.

Fast-forward a few hundred years, and you’ll find potters in ancient Greece signing their vases and amphorae – a mark of quality, pride, and yes, a brand. Some even developed their own stylised signatures or logos, which collectors still recognise today. These weren’t just containers, they were cultural statements. The same idea holds up in our time. When we choose Adidas over an unbranded tekkie at the market, we’re making a choice based on trust, quality, and the meaning behind the mark. It’s that little logo on the side that says, “This was made by someone who knows what they’re doing.”

Even thousands of years ago, branding was doing what it still does best: giving people a reason to choose one thing over another.

The late 1700s brought the Industrial Revolution and the world began making more products than ever before. Factories were churning out goods, shelves were filling up, and competition was fierce. The days of selling based on a handshake were over. Businesses needed a way to stand out, to say: “Pick me, I’m worth it.”

That is when branding became a commercial weapon. By the late 1800s, logos, packaging, and slogans had moved to centre stage. Suddenly your shopping list did not just say “corn flakes”. It said Kellogg’s Corn Flakes or nothing at all.

Coca-Cola: The Birth of a Lifestyle

Take Coca-Cola, for example. Invented in 1886 and marketed as a medicinal tonic, it quickly pivoted into a refreshing drink with mass appeal. But it wasn’t just the taste – it was the whole experience. That unmistakable bottle shape? Introduced in 1915, it was designed to be recognisable even in the dark or when smashed on the ground. That’s how much thought went into making the brand stand out. Coca-Cola wasn’t just quenching thirst – it was selling nostalgia, Americana, and eventually happiness itself.

Kellogg’s: Packaging as a Brand Statement

Or consider Kellogg’s, which introduced its first cereal in 1906. W.K. Kellogg didn’t just invent corn flakes – he invented breakfast branding. Even though it was not on purpose and the history of how our favourite cereal’s got their start is rather strange. Bright, cheerful boxes with fun fonts and cartoon mascots turned an ordinary food into a morning ritual. By the 1950s, Tony the Tiger was telling kids that Frosties were “Grrreat!” – and that’s when branding became entertainment, especially for younger audiences.

Cadbury: The Colour of Trust

In the UK, Cadbury was pioneering its own kind of brand love. By associating the colour purple with its Dairy Milk chocolate as early as 1914, Cadbury didn’t just sell sweets – it owned a colour in consumers’ minds. That iconic purple wasn’t a design choice, it was a brand asset. Today, they’ve even trademarked it. And when South Africans think of Easter, what’s more recognisable than a box of purple marshmallow eggs?

These brands were no longer just selling physical goods – they were selling meaning, trust, and emotion. The product was part of it, but the promise was everything. The promise of consistency, quality, and experience. When people bought a bottle of Coca-Cola in Durban or London, they expected the same thing. That trust built fierce loyalty, and with loyalty came cultural influence.

In fact, some brands became so successful they changed the way we speak. “Hoover” became shorthand for vacuum cleaner. “Sellotape” became a generic term for clear adhesive tape. “Xerox” meant photocopy. That level of influence doesn’t just belong to a product – it belongs to a brand that embedded itself in daily life.

From the Industrial Revolution to the roaring 20th century, the rise of commerce wasn’t just about production – it was about perception. And the brands that mastered perception, mastered the market.

By the mid-20th century, branding had shifted completely from being a mark of ownership to becoming a lifestyle tool. This was the point where brands stopped existing purely as labels and started taking on personalities of their own. A good product was no longer enough. You had to make people feel something. The ones who mastered that emotional pull were the advertisers.

This was the Golden Age of Advertising, roughly from the 1950s to the 1970s, when creativity, strategy, and storytelling collided to produce some of the most iconic brands the world has ever known. Picture bustling New York agencies, whiskey glasses in boardrooms, and the constant clack of typewriter keys hammering out the next big campaign. If the scene sounds familiar, it is because television shows like Mad Men were inspired by this exact period, where the Don Drapers of the world were shaping culture from glossy corner offices on Madison Avenue.

Mad Men and the Art of Persuasion

Mad Men wasn’t just TV drama – it was a snapshot of a time when advertising had real cultural power. The show brilliantly captured the rise of creative agencies like Ogilvy, BBDO, and DDB, who transformed branding from something practical into something poetic. These agencies treated advertising like art, and their canvas was everything from print spreads in glossy magazines to jingles on the radio and grainy TV commercials.

What made this era special was that branding was no longer about saying, “Here’s what we sell.” It was about saying, “Here’s how we’ll make you feel.” Branding and advertising began to work hand-in-hand – crafting stories, building emotional connections, and embedding products into everyday life. The copy was sharp, the visuals were bold, and the emotional hooks were unforgettable.

A few standout examples?

• Volkswagen’s “Think Small” campaign (1960) flipped the car industry on its head by embracing humility and honesty instead of flashy performance.
• Avis’s “We Try Harder” positioned the brand as an underdog – and turned second place into a badge of honour.
• Nike’s “Just Do It” (launched in 1988, slightly post-Golden Age but still rooted in its legacy) inspired millions not to buy shoes, but to take action.

These weren’t just ads. They were rallying cries. They turned brands into belief systems.

Branding Becomes a Lifestyle

Take Marlboro, for instance. The iconic Marlboro Man campaign took a fairly generic cigarette and wrapped it in rugged cowboy masculinity. Men who smoked Marlboro weren’t just enjoying tobacco, they were aligning themselves with a way of life: wild, tough, independent. The branding was so powerful that it rescued Marlboro from the brink of obscurity and catapulted it to become the best-selling cigarette brand in the world.

Or look at Coca-Cola, no longer just a drink, but a symbol of youth, togetherness, and global optimism. Their 1971 ad “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” wasn’t about the product. It was about unity, culture, and the dream of a better world. That single ad became a cultural moment, even being referenced decades later in the final episode of Mad Men as the ultimate brand-meets-humanity story arc.

The Power of Promise

What defined this golden era was the rise of the brand promise. It wasn’t about ingredients or prices anymore, it was about meaning. You weren’t just washing with soap – you were choosing luxury (Dove). You weren’t just wearing jeans, you were rebellious (Levi’s). You weren’t just driving a car,  you were making a statement about your place in the world.

This shift laid the foundation for the world we live in now. In the decades that followed, branding would become even more sophisticated. But it was this mid-century moment – when storytelling met strategy – that created the blueprint for what branding is today.

Advertising gave branding its red bull wings. Elevating products into icons, shaping the way entire generations saw companies as entities as well as how they have started to see themselves. Proving that with the right message attached and curated, a brand can become something much bigger than just what it is selling.

Then comes the internet. And everything shifts. Brands move online, websites become digital storefronts, and suddenly, the playing field is wide open. A one-person start-up in Pretoria can now compete with a global brand from New York, at least in terms of digital presence. Design is still important, but now it’s just one piece of the puzzle. Today, branding is about meaning, message, and clarity. It is about positioning.

Brand positioning becomes the deciding factor. Who are you speaking to? What problem are you solving? What do you stand for? In an online world flooded with sameness, the brands that stand out are the ones that know their lane and own it with confidence. They don’t try to be everything to everyone. They are precise, honest, and intentional.

Then social media enters the scene and that’s when everything relating to the power of branding truly explodes.

Social media doesn’t just give brands a space to market. It gives them a voice, a personality, a seat at the cultural table. It creates a place where people can talk back, share opinions, and interact in real time. Suddenly, brands are no longer distant corporations. They are in your feed, in your inbox, and in your daily scroll.

At the same time, websites evolve. No longer just static brochure pages, they become immersive brand spaces where people learn your story, understand your values, and decide if they align with what you’re offering. Your website is your first impression. If your social media creates curiosity, your website closes the deal. It is where your narrative lives and where your reputation starts to form.

And it’s not just businesses anymore. Every influencer, freelancer, creator, and job-seeker becomes a brand in their own right. Social media becomes the new business card, portfolio, and public diary all at once. Instagram grids, LinkedIn bios, TikTok videos, and personal websites now shape public perception. This is the rise of the personal brand, and it is massive.

In this crowded, fast-moving space, brand management becomes more important than ever. With so many voices and visuals competing for attention, consistency and clarity are key. A well-managed brand cuts through the noise. It feels human, it stands for something, and it makes people feel something.

Whether you’re running a small one man expert service business, building a career as a content creator or trying to create the next app to sell the banks, your brand is how people remember you and your business. And in the digital world, it only takes one click to find or forget you.

Brand management, website management and social media management are essential to staying competitive in a digital-first world. Without a consistent and intentional presence across platforms, your brand risks being overlooked or misunderstood. Strong visual design supports clear brand positioning and ensures your business resonates with the right audience. Graphic design is not decorative, it’s strategic, influencing perception and trust within seconds. Targeted brand positioning requires research. Understanding your market, your competitors and your customer behaviours allows for smarter decisions across digital channels.

Once you identify and target your customers, with effective marketing efforts your audience will find you. Their experience in interacting with your brand then determines whether they engage – and you must be clear on what you want that engagement to be. That’s why UX and UI design must be seamless across your website. Good design – graphic and web – builds confidence in your offering, reducing friction and driving action. A cohesive digital identity, supported by ongoing brand and content management, is no pivotal to continues success in such a competitive market.

Understanding the history of branding reminds us that branding isn’t a passing trend or marketing buzzword. It’s a fundamental part of how people operate. For centuries, humans have used signs, names, and symbols to express ownership, quality, values, and identity. From ancient marks etched into pottery to today’s personal websites and social bios, branding is how we shape perception. It’s how we tell the world, “This is who I am, this is what I stand for, and this is why it matters.”

In today’s world, where choice is endless and attention is short, branding is more powerful than ever. It’s no longer just a way to sell – it’s how businesses build trust, earn loyalty, and influence culture. That’s why brand positioning is so crucial. It’s not about appealing to everyone. It’s about being crystal clear about who you’re for, what you offer, and why you’re different. The brands that thrive today are the ones that lead with purpose, speak with consistency, and connect on an emotional level.

Whether you’re launching a skincare label in Joburg, an eco-friendly product range in Cape Town, or an NFT project in Durban, your brand must say something real. It needs to communicate value beyond the product. It must look and feel aligned with your audience, but more importantly, it must mean something. In a digital world where visuals come and go, substance and authenticity are what stick.

Branding is no longer optional. It’s a business tool, a sales engine, and a cultural connector all in one. And yes, it can feel overwhelming. There are platforms to manage, visuals to design, messages to clarify, and audiences to engage. But you don’t have to do it alone.

We’re Fort Hartley. We build brands that don’t just exist – they lead. Whether you’re starting from scratch or refining what’s already there, we’re here to help you turn your brand into your biggest asset. Let’s build something worth remembering.

Shohei Ohtani and the Coors Light Beer Can Moment

In April 2024, Shohei Ohtani smashed a 113 mph foul ball straight into a giant Coors Light beer can ad at Dodger Stadium. The can visibly dented on impact, live on national television, instantly going viral. Coors Light didn’t miss a beat – they embraced the moment and turned it into a brand win, posting the clip on social media with cheeky captions and even producing limited-edition cans to commemorate the hit.

The moment wasn’t scripted, but the brand’s clear positioning as “the world’s most refreshing beer” made it easy to lean into the fun. It was fast, reactive marketing that only works when your brand already knows who it is and how to show up.

It’s impressive to think how this was mobilized so quickly and with such effectiveness. A job truly well done by Rethink Canada

Nando’s – The Original Kings of Satirical Advertising

All South Africans of millennial age remember Nando’s ads from the 90s and early 2000s like gospel. These weren’t just chicken ads, they were social commentary that made us all feel part of something larger, and in a fun way.

With sharp wit, topical humour and a fearless approach to politics and pop culture, Nando’s created a brand personality that was bold, local and proudly unapologetic. Remember the “Last Dictator Standing” Mugabe ad? Or the one that spoofed load shedding? Nando’s didn’t just sell food, it sold an attitude, a sense of national identity, and a whole lot of laughs. Few brands could stir the pot like them and still walk away with public love. And it is sad to hear that M&C Saatchi and Abel have now parted ways with Nando’s, but we can bet that what ever comes out next, will still carry the same old Nando’s flavour.