When an advertising executive talks about branding and marketing, they’re not just throwing out industry buzzwords.
People often talk about branding and marketing as the same thing, but there is a difference.
While those differences are subtle, companies work hard to play to the strengths of each.
What is branding?
Branding is the essence of a company.
Branding characterises the emotion a consumer feels when thinking of a company or the adjective used when asked to describe it in a word.
If your business has a personality, then your branding is working.
People don’t queue up overnight to buy the latest iPhone because they need a phone that badly.
They do it because they love the brand Apple.
What is marketing?
Marketing is the tool you use to interact with your customers.
In the early days it was simply advertisements in newspapers, then commercials on the radio, followed by TV ads.
Add to that -billboards, leaflets, internet pop-ups, Facebook ads… they’re all types of marketing.
Marketing is simply a way to sell your brand.
Why branding and marketing are often confused
Branding and marketing are symbolically linked; you can’t market without a brand and there’s no point having a brand if you can’t market it.
This dependent relationship is probably why the terms are used synonymously.
A way to think about it is like this; your brand is who you are as a person, while marketing is the fashionable clothes you wear.
Fashions change, but who you are stays mostly the same.
Marketing campaigns can vary widely over time like fashions, but the brand of a company rarely changes.
Why branding is important
Branding is more than a recognisable logo, it’s how that logo makes people feel.
Your brand is your reputation, and a good reputation is something money can not buy.
Consumers want to know when they buy from you, they are buying quality.
They want to know that if there are any problems with their purchase, you will help them out.
And in today’s eco-conscious world, most people want to know they’re not damaging the planet by buying your product.
Branding is the difference between the product or service you sell and the exact same one your competitor sells.
The key to branding
The key to branding is consistency.
Consistency results in brand recognition, and that is how your brand becomes known to and trusted by consumers.
People may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
This harks back to our ancient reptilian brain centres, which processes information quicker than our conscious minds.
It works on emotion rather than logic – it’s better to be scared of a shadow rather than wait around trying to logically figure out if it’s a tiger or not.
To go back to our Apple example, this is exactly what they do when appealing to their consumers; they aim for how their products make people feel rather than how the product actually works.
It is this feeling people associate with a product that makes them want to return to it again and again.
A feeling which can only be built through consistency.
How we can help with both branding and marketing
Whether you’re an established brand or you’re just starting out as a business, we can help.
Your brand visibility is a priority for us.
The major social media platforms offer a powerful opportunity to get your brand in front of a large and highly targeted audience.
This gives you a unique opportunity to build trust through consistency.
By focusing on quality and value, we have a proven track record in boosting brand visibility and growing results.
When it comes to marketing, we were the first New Zealand agency to be listed as a recommended agency by the Content Marketing Institute in New York.
Our content marketing strategy, combined with SEO and a focused social media strategy, is a unique way to grow your audience, as well as your reputation, resulting in more leads and sales.
Our marketing strategies are custom designed for each of our clients, with our team of specialist writers and researchers creating content that will inform entertain and enlighten old, new, and potential customers.
If you would like to know more about how we can help your business with both branding and marketing, then please don’t hesitate to contact us and let’s have a chat about how we can move forward together.
