Brands The word brand is a comprehensive term that encompasses other narrower terms. A brand is a name, term, symbol, and/or special design that is intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers. A brand differentiates one seller's products from those of competitors. A brand name consists of words, letters, and/or numbers that can be vocalized. A brand mark is the part of the brand that appears in the form. of a symbol, design, or distinctive coloring or lettering. It is recognized by sight but may not be expressed when a person, pronounces the brand name. A trademark is a brand that is given legal protection because, under the law, it has been appropriated by one seller. Thus trademark is essentially a legal term. All trademarks are brands and thus include the words, letters, or numbers that can be pronounced. They may also include a pictorial design, Some people erroneously believe that the trademark is only the pictorial part of the brand. One major method of classifying brands is on the basis of who owns them — producers or middlemen. Sunbeam, Florsheim, Spalding (athletic products), and Sara Lee are producers' brands, while Allstate, Shurfine, Sysco, Craftsman, and Penncrest are middlemen's brands. The terms national and private have been used to describe producer and middleman brand ownership, respectively. However, marketing people prefer the producer-middleman terminology. To say that the brand of poultry feed marketed in three states by a small Birmingham, Alabama, manufacturer is a national brand, whereas the brands of Penney's or Sears are private brands, stretches the meaning of the terms national and private. 'Brand' is a general term which covers narrower terms such as 'brand name', 'brand mark', and 'trademark.'