Branding Vs. Marketing: Is There A Difference?

Many people get confused with branding and marketing as two of the same things. In fact, there’s a huge difference between the two. In this article, we are going to explain the key differences and why branding usually comes first before marketing.

Let’s start off with the definition of what these two terms mean.

According to Google:

Mar·ket·ing/

The action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising. i.e. “the Western arts of marketing and distribution”

Branding/

The promotion of a particular product or company by means of advertising and distinctive design. i.e. “The process of branding should be considered in global terms”

distinctive wording or design used to identify a particular brand.
I.e. “the first thing you’ll notice is the cool blue branding”

So what are the key differences?

The main keyword in defining the difference between the two is, ‘distinctive design.’

Branding dives deep into the who, what, and why of your brand. It identifies and represents your business. It also establishes the value of how your brand is perceived in the eyes of your ideal audience. Branding is all about increasing the quality, credibility, and reputation of your brand.

Marketing on the other hand focuses on the tools, plans, and strategies you will use to actually promote your brand. It enacts what your brand is about, promotes your brand’s value to customers, and focuses efforts to drive sales to be able to reach new customers.

Even if branding and marketing are different in a lot of ways, there’s no denying that they both go hand in hand in order to build a successful brand.

A combination of both marketing and branding is essential in order for your brand to take off. Marketing tools and strategies will work better if your branding game is strong. They say branding comes first and marketing second.

So let’s dive into the importance of branding and why it usually comes first.

𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅. How is your brand formed? What made you decide to put up your brand? Who are the people you want to serve? These things serve as the foundation of your brand. Once these are properly defined, the goals of your brand become clear.

𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅. Think of your brand as a person. How will your brand speak? How will it dress up? What are its interests and hobbies? A person has its own unique style and personality and so as your brand. Your target audience should be able to ‘recognize’ you just as you remember a friend’s name.

𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅. Speaking of a brand being a person, how do you think your audience will remember you? Having a visual identity helps in making your brand recognizable. Why do we easily identify Netflix, or Instagram, or Google just by their logos? Their visual identity is on point and remarkable.

𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅. With strong branding, everything else follows. If you have identify the foundations, personality, and style of your brand, all the efforts you make for the brand will be aligned to its ultimate purpose.

Branding takes a lot of time and effort but you don’t need to do it all alone. There are brand strategists and designers that will help you get to the direction you want for your brand. If this is something you’d rather tackle with a professional, we invite you to book a free discovery call with us to see how we may help you craft an elegant and bespoke brand for your business.

What are your thoughts on Branding and Marketing?

Do you consider these two concepts vital to your business?