On July 15th, audiences of all ages will be forced to wait in line for hours, maybe even days in anticipation for the very last...I repeat...the very LAST Harry Potter movie: The Deathly Hallows Part 2.

With 250 Million books sold, 61 Translations, 3rd All-time best seller, 1.6 Billion at the global box office (so far), and 750 Million in DVD/video sales, the Harry Potter brand is worth about 4 Billion dollars. The boy who lived has become one of the most recognizable names in the world. The lightening bolt, featured in the books, movies, and on merchandise is even comparable to the Nike swoosh and the McDonald’s golden arches.

What makes it a brand?

It’s the story.  Harry Potter allows readers of all ages, races, genders, and cultures to dive into this unknown, thrilling world without boundaries.  Because it is a story with adventure, danger, passion, and fantasy, the appeal reaches across infinite demographics.  For those of you who wouldn’t call yourself a literary heavyweight, don’t worry because you are able to lose yourself in the billion dollar movie franchise that is the seven Harry Potter movies.

Within this wizarding world multiple brands and marketing strategies exist that contribute to the success of the exterior Harry Potter brand.  Because it is an imaginary world every store, product, and brand was all created and marketed from the extraordinary mind of JK Rowling.  Hogwarts, for one has a distinctive coat of arms quality to the logo (shown below) that ties perfectly into the Harry Potter brand of authenticity and historical significance. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw all contain separate brands that are defined through the colors of the logo and the students that are associated with them.

We make sense of our world and society through stories. The same is true of brands. Through it’s narrative, coherence, and characters, Harry Potter became (and still is) an extremely successful world-wide brand.  When a brand creates a story, it establishes it’s purpose and objective that provides foundation for the audience. When all is said and done, Harry Potter epitomizes today's entertainment and branding.

So, where will you be at midnight on July 14th?