Strategic significance of the brand in the activities of an organization

Issues associated with brand management and its share in the creation of value for companies from the sector of consumer goods have for many years been some of the most popular subjects in the area of marketing. The interest in issues of using marketing and the brand in particular, also in B2B relations, non-profit organizations or research units, as well as in branches offering products which cannot be easily distinguished - eg. in the energy sector, has recently been growing. This new phenomenon of the penetration of marketing concepts beyond the traditional „brand" branches is associated with professionalization of management in all spheres, as well as with growing competition also among entities which don't position their offer directly on the market of consumer goods. It can be concluded that brand management is needed in all kinds of activities, where it is necessary to compete with other entities for rare resources - money of consumers, government subsidies, money from the National Health Fund, donations, valuable employees, etc. Obviously, the significance of a brand for the success of an organization and the methods of effective brand management don't differ depending on the area of economic, social or scientific activity. However, some of the most basic rules of creating and managing brands are universal regardless of the area of application. The goal of this article is to present the strategic significance of the brand for an organization and the fundamental rules for creating it. The article also presents general conditions for the process of brand management in research institutions. The last part of the article is devoted to the issue of using brands with regard to technology.