Is Modern Branding a Form of Development?

To answer this question, we first need to clarify a key concept. A large percentage of people pursue education and compete to enter universities. At this stage, those who secure a spot in reputable universities are sifted out, standing apart from the initial crowd. From there, another selection occurs as those who graduate with high grades and prestigious degrees are further filtered from the larger group.

Yet, this filtering process doesn’t end there. In the next phase, the number of those who manage to establish successful businesses within their specialized fields decreases once again. You might think this is the final stage of selection and that those who have built thriving businesses in their fields have reached the ultimate goal.

But in truth, this is not the end of the journey. Even among these successful individuals, only a small percentage ultimately make a meaningful impact in their industry — however small that impact might be. These are the individuals whose names appear in the margins of specialized books in their field, recognized as influencers and thought leaders.

Everyone can build a business, but not everyone can build an empire. When I speak of an “empire,” I mean a “brand.” Not every business is a brand; many are simply healthy enterprises that continue to operate. This is merely the first step in the journey toward branding.

Throughout history, many have ruled, and countless experts have attained high levels of knowledge within their fields. Yet, only a few have succeeded in building an empire; only a handful have made such a lasting impact in their field that their names are recorded in books, and we continue to learn from them.

These individuals are the ones who sought something beyond merely establishing a business. They pursued development — a development that is always accompanied by pain and continuous change. If you are of the nature of development, you must constantly move forward. From my perspective, development is one of the synonyms for branding.

And here I return to the original question: Is modern branding a form of development?

This text was translated into English by ChatGPT.