Our approach to building brands goes beyond what most people think of as branding activities: "naming", "visual identity", "advertising" and "marketing".

This is because the perceptions that produce loyalty are based on people's total experience of a brand - not just on what they are told about it.

Before considering conventional communications, brand owners need to understand and know how to control (where possible) two key areas of experience:

• where the brand 'comes from' and the company it keeps
• what the brand does and what is done to it

Particularly in an age when more and more people are becoming sceptical of companies' efforts to advertise and 'spin' messages, it is critical that a brand is credible and "walks its talk" in every way.