Why can plain white t-shirt cost $10 at Target and $350 at a Gucci store? The cotton is relatively similar. The difference is Brand Equity.

Brand equity is a highly valuable financial asset. In fact, when one company buys another, they often pay billions of dollars above the value of the physical assets (buildings, inventory) just to own the brand name.

Building a brand requires ruthless consistency. Every touchpoint—from the way the website is designed, to the tone of voice in an email, to how customer service handles a complaint—must align with the Brand Promise.