Branding is simply a more efficient way to sell things.
A brand should strive to own a word in the mind of the consumer.
The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity.
Marketing is not selling. Marketing is building a brand in the mind of the prospect.
It's the first company to build the mental position that has the upper hand, not the first company to make the product. IBM didn't invent the computer; Sperry Rand did. But IBM was the first to build the computer position in the prospect's mind.
The next generation product almost never comes from the previous generation.