WALLY Olins wowed them at Leeds Castle by telling 300 experts that branding was largely "gut instinct".

The corporate identity guru spoke to guests at the first Kent annual marketing lecture - sponsored by Whitstable-based Pollett and Cole Creative Marketing. "Branding is nothing to do with business schools," he said. "It's visceral, it's emotional - it's all about gut instinct."

In a wide-ranging lecture, hosted by the Chartered Institute of Marketing in Kent, he traced the history of branding from its 19th century origins to today's global brands. He examined different types of brands and how successful ones are created.

Emphasising the power of brands such as Coca Cola - "a maroon fizzy liquid" and Gap, Olins said: "It is a most extraordinary phenomenon that has never happened in history before - goods that have little intrinsic value have become monumentally significant in our lives."

But he also highlighted the limitations under which brands operate. Some, such as Scotch whisky, are restricted by their geography, others by association with past failure.

Brands, Olins stressed, also need to be consistent so that the expectations of consumers are matched by real-life experience.