According to Melin (1999) the first

According to Melin (1999) the first kind of branding that we know of was the branding of cattle. This type of branding is shown on pictures in caves in Europe and on walls in Egypt that originates from the prehistoric times. During the 1300s to 1500s, the international trades increased rapidly. This gave birth to many different forms of branding (Melin, 1999). During the Middle Ages, people also started to use the word “brand”, and they used three types of signs of their products: craftsman - for identification, guild - a mark that promised a certain level of quality, and city signs - origin of the product (Riezebos, 2003). In the second half of the 20:th century, the modern form of a brand arose for the first time (Melin, 1999).

Melin (1999) claims that many of the brands that are well-known today, originates from the
1950s and 1960s. This may be explained by the rapid growth of the markets after the two world wars. According to Riezebos (2003) during the 1980s managers and marketing people started to realise the value that a brand could have for a company.

Today the importance of branding is greater than ever before. This is not at least shown when looking at the organisation Interbrand, who each year ranks the most valuable brands. At the top-three you can find Coca Cola at first place with a brand worth $67 525 millions, Microsoft at second place with a brand value of $59 941 millions and IBM at third place with a brand value of $53 376 millions (Interbrand, retrieved 2005-09-25).

Today, the competition about customers is greater than before and companies need something more than just the bare product and its quality to attract people. A brand can create certain associations for customers and this can have a major impact on the purchasing decision (Riezebos, 2003).

During the last ten years, a new area of branding has emerged - The branding of people. People have always had a personal brand, but they have not been aware of it until recently when the concept was ‘developed’ (Werner Runebjörk, 2004). The industry around the personal branding has grown rapidly and today many people hire personal shoppers, personal trainers and image consultants to make their own brand stronger and more attractive.

Maria Wetterstrand and Shan Atci are two examples of Swedish celebrities with strong personal brands. They are strong because they are not just well-known among their family and friends but also to a huge amount of people. Most people will get associations immediately when they hear one of those names. These associations might be good or bad, desirable or non-desirable.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Menurut Melin (1999) jenis pertama dari merek yang kita tahu adalah merek ternak. Jenis merek yang ditampilkan pada gambar di gua-gua di Eropa dan di dinding di Mesir yang berasal dari zaman prasejarah. Selama tahun 1300-an untuk 1500-an, perdagangan internasional meningkat pesat. Ini telah melahirkan berbagai bentuk branding (Melin, 1999). Selama abad pertengahan, orang-orang juga mulai menggunakan kata "merek", dan mereka menggunakan tiga jenis tanda-tanda produk mereka: pengrajin - untuk identifikasi, guild - tanda yang menjanjikan tingkat tertentu kualitas, dan tanda-tanda kota - asal-usul Produk (Riezebos, 2003). Di paruh kedua abad 20:th, bentuk modern dari sebuah merek muncul untuk pertama kalinya (Melin, 1999).Klaim melin (1999) yang banyak merek yang terkenal saat ini, yang berasal daritahun 1950-an dan 1960-an. Hal ini dapat dijelaskan oleh pertumbuhan yang cepat dari pasar setelah perang dunia kedua. Menurut Riezebos (2003) selama tahun 1980 manajer dan pemasaran orang mulai menyadari nilai yang bisa memiliki merek untuk sebuah perusahaan.Pentingnya merek lebih besar daripada sebelumnya. Setidaknya ini tidak ditampilkan ketika melihat organisasi Interbrand, yang setiap tahun peringkat merek yang paling berharga. Pada tiga Anda dapat menemukan Coca Cola di tempat pertama dengan merek senilai $67 525 jutaan, Microsoft di kedua tempat dengan merek nilai $59 941 juta dan IBM di tempat ketiga dengan merek nilai $53 376 juta (Interbrand, diperoleh 2005-09-25).Today, the competition about customers is greater than before and companies need something more than just the bare product and its quality to attract people. A brand can create certain associations for customers and this can have a major impact on the purchasing decision (Riezebos, 2003).During the last ten years, a new area of branding has emerged - The branding of people. People have always had a personal brand, but they have not been aware of it until recently when the concept was ‘developed’ (Werner Runebjörk, 2004). The industry around the personal branding has grown rapidly and today many people hire personal shoppers, personal trainers and image consultants to make their own brand stronger and more attractive.Maria Wetterstrand and Shan Atci are two examples of Swedish celebrities with strong personal brands. They are strong because they are not just well-known among their family and friends but also to a huge amount of people. Most people will get associations immediately when they hear one of those names. These associations might be good or bad, desirable or non-desirable.