[Devin Cornelius is currently in his final semester as a student-athlete at the University of Central Missouri, pursuing a Master's Degree in Sports Management. He is currently a Sports Management intern at Athletic Lab.] Initially, when I began brainstorming this blog post, I thought to look up the phrase "branding". Ironically, I meant Google "branding". Search engines have been a dime a dozen during my lifetime. I have seen advertisements for Yahoo, Bing and much more. However, every time I have ever searched for an answer to something, the colorful letters of Google were above the search bar. Google has branded itself and dominated its market so well that it is literally used as a verb. Other brands that dominate our society include Apple, Nike, Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Disney. In terms of successful branding, these companies have reached the pinnacle. Most of which find themselves on the 2017 list of Most Powerful Brands, carefully crafted by Brand Finance. As an honest consumer, I will openly admit that brand reputation has a significant impact on my decisions in purchasing and loyalty. There are certain brands that undoubtedly add value. Whether this value is higher utility relative to price, higher quality overall, or a preferred external reputation, it is impossible to ignore strong brands and their impact on our decision making.As an honest consumer, I will openly admit that brand reputation has a significant impact on my decisions in purchasing and loyalty. There are certain brands that undoubtedly add value. Whether this value is higher utility relative to price, higher quality overall, or a preferred external reputation, it is impossible to ignore strong brands and their impact on our decision making. In August of 2015, World Athletics [...]