How Does Branding Differ From Marketing?

We see a ton of confusion on this issue when meeting with prospective clients, so we thought we would attempt to clean it up here. A “brand” is an expression of the core values of a company, or even an individual, like a politician. A brand reveals the fundamental reason for its existence, and how it differs from others in the category, and the experience you will enjoy when using this product.

Marketing is having your brand seen in the right places by the right people who are a match to your brand based on their past purchasing habits, demographics and psychographics of those whose values match your brand’s values. What is their residence zip code, what credit cards do they use, where do they like to take a vacation, what is their choice of automobile, which media do they listen to or read to get their news or to entertain themselves?

Spiker Insights

It’s relatively simple. A “Brand” comes first and “Marketing” flows from the brand’s reason for its existence. Don’t get this backwards, marketing is promoting your brand in the right place to the right people at the right time so your prospects will identify with it and feel compelled to purchase your brand.

Marketing is where Creativity comes in in spades. You need to be fascinating in today’s cluttered marketplace to even be noticed. So step outside your comfort box and show the world what your brand stands for and how their experiences with you will make it all worthwhile to spend their hard-earned money with your brand, not just today, but in the future.