Well, how much ever it is hard to believe, that is what it is! Having a logo only does not make you a brand. There is a common misconception amongst a lot businesses is that if they get a logo designed they instantly become a brand. A logo is definitely one part of the brand building exercise but only having a logo is not sufficient to become and be identified a brand. The logo surely gives business a visual identity but there's much more that goes in making a brand.
So what's a brand in the first place? A brand is an experience. A consistent experience that is given to the consumer every time the consumer interacts with a business across multiple touch points. And this is over and above the core product or service that the businesses is selling. So whether it's your sales folks, or callcentre people, or retail store employees, product packaging, or digital presence, every single element where the consumer interacts with the business needs to deliver a consistent experience.
Now, in order to create that experience, firstly the experience needs to be defined. What's the purpose of our existence, what's our vision, what are the values and beliefs we have, what's our tonality, what's our personality - questions like these need to be answered. Suddenly it gives a business a new dimension. It goes beyond selling products and services and there is a larger purpose in doing what the business is doing. That is where people resonate with the brand, they feel connected and they want to be associated with the brand. Think of a brand like a person customers would like to hangout with.
A logo is just a visual identity of your brand. It does not make you a brand.
Things don't stop here. They only begin from here. You've just defined what your brand is all about. Once the brand is defined then comes building a visual identity part. You make a logo, a visual elements guide, define colour palette, typography, imagery, personality, mood board etc. Think of a brand like a person and the visual identity as the clothes he/she wears. And it's important to align both of this.
Next up is communication. You have defined a brand, created a visual identity but no one knows about it! So a consistent brand messaging is very critical to let your audience know about you. It doesn't happen overnight - it needs to be consistently and continuously done. Across channels. So that people start recognising you and associating you with something that you want them to.
To conclude, a brand is much more than a logo. It's a promise. A logo only makes people remember your promise!