The most powerful performance predictor of them all (potentially)

So, what is the most powerful performance predictor of them all, and why have I added potentially?

A brand is potentially the most powerful performance predictor of them all. And I say potentially because when branding is executed poorly it has the reverse affect - it becomes a performance detractor.

Branding is commonly misunderstood, even by marketing people. A brand is no more than a promise of performance delivered in advance of actually experiencing the service or using the product. Another helpful explanation is that a brand is the organisation's reputation.

A well developed brand (that is, one which highlights deliberate attributes in a powerful way) willl make perspective customers feel like they have already experienced the service or used the product before they actually have. Clearly, this performance predictor has great potential to fast-forward prospective customers into the future.