Branding vs Marketing: What’s the Difference?

One day, I was on YouTube, and I saw the best commercial ever.

It was about a bunch of kids who were struggling with their moms as they learned their skillset of choice.

The girl was being documented from an early age on learning how to ice skate.

She kept falling, getting up, and trying again.

Her mom encouraged her.

The boy was learning hockey and was failing endlessly.

His mom wouldn’t let him quit.

There was a skier who was working her hardest with her mom’s support.

Despite failing, her mom always gave her a helping hand.

The commercial started off with these kids going through tough times.

And the commercial ended with these kids having figured out their skillset of choice.

Once they figured out their skillset, there was a massive audience watching them in awe.

Everyone was cheering them on!!

Once these kids, who were now grown-ups, won their given tournament…

They scoped through the massive audience to find their mom’s.

The audience members were just strangers.

Their moms were the only ones who had their backs when they were on the bottom.

What an amazing commercial.

Then the commercial ends with:

‘P&G.’

Wait, Proctor and Gamble?

What the hell does a consumer’s brand have to do with this commercial??

What P&G Did With That Commercial

That commercial was a tearjerker.

It made you feel a certain way.

P&G created other spinoff commercials that tapped into common human experiences.

• Getting chewed out by a manager.
• One person protecting another.
• Continuing despite wanting to quit.

None of these commercials promoted a product.

Instead, they promoted a name.

The P&G commercials wanted to connect common human experiences with their brand.

If you are someone who loves your mom, P&G was trying to get you to think:

‘You love your mom. We just made a commercial of people who love their mom. So, if you love your mom, then you should love the brand who made a commercial for people who love their mom.’

You may read that above line again and think:

‘Wait, that doesn’t make any sense!’

Exactly.

Branding doesn’t need to make sense.

It just needs to make you feel.

The Biggest Difference Between Branding vs Marketing

Marketing promotes a product.

Branding promotes a name.

When Apple is talking about their newest iPhone release, they are talking about a product.

This is marketing.

When Apple is talking about who they are, and how they are a brand for misfits, they are talking about the meaning of their name.

This is branding.

Marketing and branding have a synergistic relationship in the long run.

But in the initial stages, it’s hard to prioritize both.

Different brands take different strategies with this one.

Nike for example focuses a ton on their brand.

By doing that, whenever they drop a new shoe, it instantly becomes a hit.

Taco Bell is the exact opposite.

They don’t really talk about the meaning of their name that much.

What they talk about a ton are the different food items they are dropping this month.

They predominantly talk about their products.

Why Great Brands Falter

The reason that great brands are difficult to take down is because it creates shortcuts in the public’s mind.

There is trust.

All good things don’t always stay good.

Just like anything in life, there are ups and downs.

Right now, we are witnessing a down cycle for Disney.

Many pundits considered Disney an untouchable brand.

That they were too big to fail.

Not true.

If you neglect what made you successful, don’t be surprised if you suddenly spiral out of control.

Disney’s downfall should teach business owners a fundamental lesson:

• Always revisit the first principles.

As you grow your empire, it will be easy to forget about your roots.

This is why the greatest brands have a mission statement that they actually follow.

Crappy brands write a mission statement as busy work.

Great brands center their entire entity around that statement.

Charles Koch, the CEO of Koch Industries, is so radical with his vision that he created a LANGUAGE for his employees to adopt.

The words you speak influence the way you think.

That’s how much Charles believes in his mission statement.

The Synergistic Effect

Eventually, marketing amplifies the brand, and a strong brand leads to easier marketing efforts.

The purpose of the Rich Dad Poor Dad brand is to make finance simple.

The more products that Robert Kiyosaki releases, the more credibility the  Rich Dad Poor Dad brand will build.

It’s best not to compare marketing with branding too much.

It is important to be able to tell the difference though.

Many business veterans cannot tell the difference between marketing and branding.

They think the 2 are the same.

Or worse, they think marketing is important while branding is a waste of time.

Branding feels like a waste of time because you cannot track it, see it, or touch it.

It’s just an experience.

Many make short-sighted decisions because they marginalize their brand.

I like to view branding as a decision-making tool.

When you are clear about who you serve, vs who you don’t serve, that’s when a lot of your decisions get made for you.

Feed the Flywheel

So, recap:

• Marketing promotes products.
• Branding promotes a name.

Over time, the 2 create a synergistic effect as long as you are moving with integrity.

If you market products that align with your brand, then it will be easier to sell products with your brand name alone.

They will see the name on the product:

• Rich Dad Poor Dad
• Disney
• Ragu
• Sony
• Apple
• ArmaniTalks (hopefully)

And they will immediately feel secure.

They have gone through the ups and downs with the brand.

They know what they will get from your products.

Since they know what they will get from your products, they soon become your brand ambassadors.

For more insights into branding & storytelling check out the Art & Science of Storytelling book

✨Ebook

✨Paperback/Kindle

✨Audiobook

– ArmaniTalks