1. THE EXPRESSION OF A BRAND
The expression of a brand is defined and articulated by the organization. This integrates brand strategy and
brand identity to express a multi-sensory brand experience through a portfolio of “Brand Signals”. These signals
manage consumer expectations by carrying and conveying meaning, making it easier for people both inside and
outside the organization to understand the brand's core purpose.
Brand is the experience that lives at the point where promise meets expectation
Therefore, the practice of Brand Expression must be multidisciplinary, as it fuses brand strategy (how the brand
is defined) and brand identity (how the brand is articulated). This ensures that the brand remains consistent and
relevant as it responds to changes in the market, as the brand both defines and is defined by consumer
experience. As a fully integrated process, the Expression of a Brand empowers companies to maintain brand
differentiation, relevancy and authenticity while balancing promise and expectation. Unlike advertising, graphic
design or web design, the expression is a systems based approach which creates the building blocks of a brand.
Working from the same palette of Brand Signals ensures that consistency of aesthetic and purpose are achieved
by multiple partners across a multitude of channels.
People learn what to expect from the brand, and the company learns what its brand must deliver to consumers.
This result is in a richer and more compelling brand experience that consumers trust, value, and count on.
As your brand is a collection of expectations that others have about you, expression is the art and science of
managing those expectations.
Brand Signals
Brand Signals are memory markers that function as mental shortcuts. Any tangible cue (sight, sound, touch,
taste, smell or action) that directly equates to a brand is a Brand Signal. Through associative learning, these
multi-sensory signals supply the stimulus necessarily to evoke an innate response. This provides the tangibility
necessary for consumers to understand how the brand's identity equates to its given meaning.
When brand identity is treated as an aesthetic veneer, the bond between consumer and brand is often weak and
shallow. When brand identity is constructed of multi-sensory Brand Signals, it provides the depth to build
stronger bonds through common understanding of what your brand represents.
Brand signals leverage the neurologic systems that the brain uses to acquire, store and recall meaning. Just as
goods are carried by hand, truck, plane, boat or rail, brand signals carry and convey a given message. The key is
not to limit the number of signals used to convey your brand's meaning.
Working individually and collectively, Brand Signals identify and differentiate the brand on two levels.
Categorically, these signals speak intuitively to consumers regarding the type of brand (price, quality, country of

2. origin etcetera). Specifically, they contain learned meaning that directly equates to the brand allowing consumers
to identify one brand from another via name, logo, packaging and so forth.
At WHITE PAGE, we resonate the expressions the brands create and multiply the brand signals. This exuberant
group combines strategic thinking and creative excellence to turn brand possibilities into business results in a
manner that is unambiguous to the audience. This very publication speaks volumes of those brands that not only
have created a legacy, but continue to strive to excellence in the Asian economy. These brands have been
chosen for their brand value, brand sustainability, recall and the trust factor as their brand signals. I’m eager,
excited and proud to showcase this volume to the brand patrons, brand marketers, brand enthusiasts and
readers – without further ado; I present the 2nd Edition of the imagistic journey of Admired Brands & Leaders.
DHRUV BHATIA
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, ADMIRED BRANDS & LEADERS
DIRECTOR – STRATEGIC ALLIANCES, WHITE PAGE