A brand (or marque for car model) is a name, term, design, symbol or other feature that

distinguishes one seller's product from those of others.[2] Brands are used in business, marketing,
and advertising. Initially, livestock branding was adopted to differentiate one person's cattle from
another's by means of a distinctive symbol burned into the animal's skin with a hot branding iron.
In accounting, a brand defined as an intangible asset is often the most valuable asset on a
corporation's balance sheet. Brand owners manage their brands carefully to create shareholder
value, and brand valuation is an important management technique that ascribes a money value to
a brand, and allows marketing investment to be managed (e.g.: prioritized across a portfolio of
brands) to maximize shareholder value. Although only acquired brands appear on a company's
balance sheet, the notion of putting a value on a brand forces marketing leaders to be focused on
long term stewardship of the brand and managing for value.
The word "brand" is often used as a metonym referring to the company that is strongly identified
with a brand.
Marque or make are often used to denote a brand of motor vehicle, which may be distinguished
from a car model. A concept brand is a brand that is associated with an abstract concept, like
breast cancer awareness or environmentalism, rather than a specific product, service, or business.
A commodity brand is a brand associated with a commodity.
A logo often represents a specific brand, as do many trade names.

Lakm is an Indian brand of cosmetics, owned by Hindustan Unilever and run by CEO
pushkaraj shenai. Lakme started as a 100% subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills (Tomco), part of the Tata
Group; it was named after the French opera Lakm, which itself is the French form of Lakshmi,
the goddess of wealth, also renowned for her beauty. Indian cosmet Lakme was started in 1952,
famously because the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was concerned that Indian women
were spending precious foreign exchange on beauty products, and personally requested JRD Tata
to manufacture them in India.[1] Simone Tata joined the company as director, and went on to
become its chairman.[2] In 1996 Tata sold off their stakes in Lakm Lever to HLL, for Rs 200
Crore[3](45 million US$), and went on to create Trent and Westside. Even today, when most
multinational beauty products are available in India, Lakme still occupies a special place in the
hearts of Indian women.[citation needed]
Lakme also started its new business in the beauty industry by setting up Lakme Beauty Salons all
over India. Now HUL (Hindustan Unilever Limited) has about 110 salons all over India
providing beauty services. In the Brand Trust Report 2012, Lakme was ranked 104th among
India's most trusted brands and subsequently, according to the Brand Trust Report 2013, Lakme
was ranked 71st among India's most trusted brands. In 2014 however, Lakme was ranked 36th

among India's most trusted brands according to the Brand Trust Report 2014, a study conducted
by Trust Research Advisory, a brand analytics company.[4] The company is the title sponsor for
Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) a bi-annual fashion event which takes place in Mumbai.[5]

Deviating from the traditional mode of advertising, Lakme Lever, part of the Hindustan Unilever
Ltd (HUL) has opted for a different strategy to market its new launch Lakme Pure Defense.
The company has deployed a bevy of beauty advisors at 1200 Lakme retail outlets across the
country to promote its new launch-dumping mass media ad campaigns. On the other hand,

HULs arch rival Procter & Gamble India (P&G) has kicked off an aggressive consumer
activation programme to popularise its skin care brand Olay in Mumbai. Clearly, the accent
seems to be on direct consumer contact in the Rs 2,200 crore Indian skin care market.
On Lakmes new initiative, Anil Chopra, vice-president, HPC Hindustan Unilever Ltd said Our
strategy is not to use mass media advertising to promote Lakme Pure Defense-the first of its kind
across the globe. Instead, we have opted for the education route to create awareness for our new
product. With the help of Unilever skincare technology, the company has developed Lakme
Pure Defense in India, informed Chopra.
According to industry analysts, Indian skin care majors are increasingly opting for direct
marketing concept to create awareness for their products. Recognising the growing significance
of targeted marketing, HUL and P&G are now using this method to woo consumers at malls,
retail outlets and departmental stores, explained an analyst based in Mumbai. With increasing
competition, the sector is expected to register a healthy growth this year. To support its new
launch, Lakme is also introducing Pure Defense-Anti Pollution facials at Lakme Beauty Salons
across the country. We are planning to extend the number of Lakme Beauty Salons from 105 to
150 in 2008. Currently, we have beauty salons in 35 cities in India, said Chopra.
Meanwhile, Procter & Gamble is in the process of rolling out an aggressive marketing campaign
titled `Total Proof. Total Challenge led by cine actor Tisca Chopra. With this initiative, we have
invited women to swap their moisturizers with for a brand new bottle of Olay Total Effects,
explained a spokesperson from P&G India.

Revlon is an American cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care company
founded in 1932.

Revlon was founded in the midst of the Great Depression, 1931, by Charles Revson and his
brother Joseph along with a chemist, Charles Lachman, who contributed the "L" in the Revlon
name. Starting with a single product a new type of nail enamel the three founders pooled
their resources and developed a unique manufacturing process. Using pigments instead of dyes,
Revlon developed a variety of new shades of opaque nail enamel. In 1937, Revlon started selling
the polishes in department stores and drug stores. In six years, the company became a
multimillion dollar organization. By 1940, Revlon offered an entire manicure line, and added
lipstick to the collection. During World War II, Revlon created makeup and related products for
the U.S. Army, which was honored in 1944 with the Army-Navy "E" Award for Excellence.
By the end of the war, Revlon was listed as one of America's top five cosmetic houses.
Expanding its capabilities, the company bought Graef & Schmidt, a cutlery manufacturer seized
by the government in 1943 because of German business ties. This acquisition made it possible

for Revlon to produce its own manicure and pedicure instruments, instead of buying them from
outside supply sources.