Branding vs. Marketing

Many believe that a brand is a function of marketing. Or more specifically, brand building. Marketers and marketing departments love ‘branding campaigns’ or ‘brand-building programs,’ because they are sexier and more exciting than their less attractive cousin, the product campaign. Agencies love them because they think it means big budgets and mass media.

But a brand is much more than a component of marketing. A brand is the promise a business makes to its customers and this promise is often communicated via marketing, but the fulfillment of the promise rests on every aspect of the enterprise. From the CEO to the frontline worker, it’s everyone’s responsibility to make that promise real, top-down and bottom-up, from 60,000 feet to where the rubber meets the road.

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About the Author

JD Norman is Executive VP, Strategy and Innovation, at Black Ink. He has nearly 20 years of marketing experience and expertise. His clients served include Fidelity Investments, John Hancock, Maytag, KPMG, Pella Corporation, BestBuy, Iowa Department of Economic Development, Huntington Bank, University Hospitals Health System of Cleveland, Moen and more. Agency experience includes Leo Burnett, MMB, The Integer Group/TBWA, and Ten United.

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