As America nears its 250th birthday, our celebrations naturally invite us to reflect on the greatness of our nation. Embedded in these celebrations is the conviction that America is a remarkable place. America is also a powerful brand. As Americans, we are the collective owners of brand America. As a brand owner yourself, you likely have your own views on what makes a brand truly great. So what does greatness in a brand actually mean to us? Setting politics aside, let’s examine the core elements of a great brand. This article appears in Branding Strategy Insider’s FREE newsletter. Join many of the world’s sharpest marketers and subscribe here for practical insights delivered straight to your inbox. Marketers constantly grapple with the notion of brand greatness. Is McDonald’s a great brand? Is General Motors a great brand? What about The New York Times? Apple? Google? Tesla? Coca-Cola? Most market research organizations rely on formulas and algorithms to evaluate and rank brand power. Brand power is typically assessed by looking at a) familiarity (familiarity exists on a continuum, unlike awareness, which is binary—either yes or no. Familiarity has degrees.), b) authority (perceptions of quality, leadership, and trustworthiness; some firms label this “esteem”), and c) specialness (relevance and differentiation). Yet, brands that are powerful are not necessarily great. The difference between brand power and brand greatness is more than a matter of wording. Powerful brands convey force, strength, control, authority, and dominance over competitors. What they often lack is a moral or ethical dimension. Great brands, on the other hand, embody reputation, distinction, excellence, virtue, and integrity, in addition to familiarity, authority, and specialness. Type in…