Who employs brand marketing?

Branding is a concept that extends far beyond the marketing of “brand name” designer jeans and other products.
A company’s brand represents their market identity—who they are, what they do, what kind of quality they provide, their reputation for trustworthiness, and more.
Consequently, brand marketing is important to nearly every business, from those selling breakfast cereals, to those developing new technologies, to those providing logistic support to other businesses.

Even when a business is selling a product as a generic, off-brand alternative (such as a marshmallow cereal similar to Lucky Charms, or a laundry detergent similar to Tide), that “generic” product carries that company’s name, and impacts its reputation. If you dislike your Not-Lucky-Charms cereal or your Not-Tide detergent, you’ll think twice before buying another “generic” product from the same company.

Meanwhile, major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target sell a huge variety of their own products next to the “brand name” products on their shelves(See also Shopper Marketing). Sam’s Choice is just one of Wal-Mart’s many brands, as Market Pantry is one of Target’s. In both cases, customers who try Sam’s Choice or Market Pantry products develop an expectation of other products sold under the same brand—just as purchasers of Nabisco, Pepsi, Nestle, Heinz, or any of a million other brands do