New to this - what is brand bidding?

Paying for ads on your own brand name, or a competitor bidding on yours. Why you'd do it on your own name when you already rank first: a competitor can show their ad above your organic listing, and brand clicks are usually cheap. Test it by pausing for a couple of weeks and watching total brand clicks, paid plus organic. If nobody else bids and organic picks up the slack, you might not need it.