Key takeaways and lessons
The morning’s discussions highlighted several important considerations for leaders to take back to their teams:
Brand and marketing as distinct, yet linked: The distinction between branding and marketing was a key takeaway. Marketing focuses on driving immediate product sales and awareness, while brand-building is about shaping the company’s identity and values, providing the foundation for long-term success.
Dual-focused marketing strategy: Balance your marketing efforts between short-term tactics and long-term strategy. Short-term tactics should be data-driven and optimised for quick returns, like promotions and performance advertising. Meanwhile, develop a clear brand vision that guides all marketing, including values, mission, and value proposition, supported by storytelling, content marketing, and consistent messaging.
Balanced budget allocation: Allocate your marketing budget to effectively support both brand-building and short-term activation. A common guideline is the 60/40 rule—60% of the budget for brand-building activities like content creation and sponsorships, and 40% for performance marketing and tactical campaigns.
Securing board buy-in: One of the challenges raised was the need to secure board-level support for brand development, recognising that the brand is not just a marketing cost but a strategic asset that can drive business performance.
Ensure consistent customer experience: Every interaction with your brand, whether through a short-term promotion or a long-term branding campaign, should provide a consistent and positive customer experience. Tactical campaigns must align with the brand’s voice and promise to ensure they don’t dilute the brand experience.
