From Firebrands to Algorithms: A Short History of Branding

Five thousand years ago a Sumerian merchant pressed a cylinder seal into clay amphorae of oil, guaranteeing provenance across caravan trails. Millennia later, Norse herders heated iron to mark livestock; the Old Norse brandr, “to burn,” bequeathed our modern term. (nationalcowboymuseum.org)

Victorian chemists, facing shelves of near-identical tonics, turned labels into competitive theatre. Mid-century television then spun archetypes—the Marlboro Man’s lone silhouette, Apple’s bitten promise of rebellion—into commercial folklore. Today, algorithms assign micro-narratives at scale, stitching each of us into bespoke mythologies where sneakers track marathons and streaming services finish our sentences.

Across every epoch the pattern endures: technology changes, but societies still reach for a mark they can trust. A brand is both boundary and invitation, a burnished proof that someone, somewhere, stands behind the goods.