Branding is Your Ride or Die, Marketing is Your Summer Fling

We are a creative agency that specializes in branding. “So...you do marketing?” We get it all the time. From new clients, our uncles, grandmas, friends. And you know what? It is confusing. To most people outside the industry, creative services all sort of blend together. Marketing and branding are easy to conflate. They’re part of the same nebulous category that includes design and strategy and slogans and t-shirts and billboards and websites and business cards and very, very specific fonts.

“Branding, at its core, is the core.”

While marketing and branding are intrinsically linked and interdependent, they are not interchangeable. They feed each other, but they are not the same. And they’re defined in hundreds of different ways on hundreds of different websites. So how do you know which is which and where to start? 

Branding, at its core, is the core. A brand is the perception consumers hold of your company in their minds. Branding is the creation and influence of that perception - a company or product’s values, commitments, and reason for being. Branding is everything you put into the world that tells consumers who you are and what you stand for. It is much more than a color palette, logo design, and business cards. Branding, in practice, is not what you feel your brand should be, but how your brand makes consumers feel about themselves.

“Perhaps the most important distinction is that branding does not change.”

Marketing is a set of processes and tools for promoting business. It is about finding and connecting with consumers who are looking for the promise of your brand. It’s about promotion and sales, creating a need and satisfying it. Marketing focuses on the consumer, and can change based on season, location, demographic, or trend. Marketing is specific, targeted, and adaptable. Branding is broad enough to remain steadfast and continue to resonate over time and distance. Branding is your ride or die, marketing is your summer fling. The right combination of the two can build something that lasts.

Perhaps the most important distinction is that branding does not change. Sometimes logos and copy need a refresh, but your core brand values should never falter and should be presented consistently, coherently, and cohesively through every single thing your company does. A brand identity should permeate and rule not only all content, communications, and consumer touch-points, but company culture, hiring processes, and training materials. 

Most of the time, when businesses can't figure out why no one outside the company understands how great they are, it's because they aren't telling their story in a way that's accessible to the consumer. Branding translates an entrepreneur’s vision into a message that catches and sustains consumer attention and engagement. Marketing is the science of identifying channels and processes to relay that message to potential buyers, and convince them to engage and to purchase. Good marketing keeps things fresh and interesting while staying true to the brand. Marketing gets customers in the door, branding keeps them coming back. 

“Marketing without branding is like pushing on a door marked pull - it’s not going to get you very far.”

Branding is often described as strategic, while marketing is tactical. Marketing is push, branding is pull. Marketing without branding is like pushing on a door marked pull - it’s not going to get you very far. You can use all the right keywords and marketing tactics, but if your customers can’t connect with your brand, you’ll have fewer conversions, fewer repeat customers, and lower return on investment. Branding is fundamental and paramount. It builds long-term loyalty and serves as a roadmap for all marketing endeavors. Ultimately, you must know your brand before you can promote it.

Marketing in the absence of a strong brand foundation can easily focus too strongly on fulfilling consumer needs without any thought to how a product is differentiated from competitors. Without unique branding to set your company apart, you risk getting lost in a market full of homogeneous products or services where the only point of difference is pricing. Similarly, if the branding that is developed is unspecific or milquetoast, it runs the risk of going unnoticed. If you brand for everyone, you brand for no one. 

#BrandingSoGoodYouDontNeedMarketing

We mostly say this tongue in cheek, but there definitely is truth to it. A good brand without marketing may not grow as quickly as a mediocre brand with marketing, however, for small business owners with a limited budget, the priority investment should be a consistent and cohesive brand identity. Good branding boosts organic reach & word of mouth, helps facilitate alliances with external partners, and provides a strong foundation that sets your business up for long-term sustainability. 

To sum it up:

What We Do

Fried Hustle has made it our mission to work with businesses looking to create or update branding, whether it’s via mood boards or event planning. While we do some marketing (marketing and branding while different, can often overlap), most of what we focus on is big picture brand strategy and all the components that go with it. If you are looking to take the next step in branding your business, click here to sign up for a free consultation with Fried Hustle today!