Branding vs Marketing

Indeed, Marketing and Branding work hand in hand and rely heavily on each other. While generating demand through marketing efforts can drive short-term sales and conversions, the significance of branding for long-term impact on conversions should not be overlooked. Here are my thoughts on Branding vs Marketing:

1️⃣ Revenue Takes Precedence 💵

Marketing efforts can enable a brand to reach the right target audience by leveraging various channels throughout the content management lifecycle (ToFu, MoFu, and BoFu). Branding, on the other hand, plays a critical role in establishing a position and providing a unique identity for the product that sticks with the end-users. Yet, this is heavily reliant on Marketing for audience engagement. It's crucial for your brand to communicate and evoke your value proposition, but without marketing, its benefits cannot be fully reaped.

2️⃣ The 60/40 Rule ✅

This might be a controversial idea, but 60% of investment should be directed towards brand building, and 40% towards marketing. At the end of the day, it's all about balance. If you underspend on Marketing, your brand and message won't reach the people in the market. Conversely, insufficient investment in Branding won't create resonance or engagement with your audience. According to "Media in Focus", a report by Google and Thinkbox, companies investing more in branding tend to be more successful in the long run. This investment lays a robust brand foundation upon which Marketing can then build.

3️⃣ Plan with Agility 🚀

Time is of the essence. We must acknowledge that there's a market for your product, but the audience may be unaware of your offerings. Marketing's role is to bring your brand to the people's attention. Wasted time debating over Brand vs Marketing can result in lost customers who were ripe for conversion. For instance, a customer, unaware of a new brand in the market, may spend time doing physical grocery shopping when your app platform could easily deliver groceries to their doorstep. Without clear coordination between Branding and Marketing, this customer's needs go unmet due to lack of communication about your value proposition.

In the end, neither Marketing can function without Branding, nor can Branding function without Marketing. These are just my thoughts around this topic - I would love to hear your views and opinions on the same 🙌🏽