A brand is much, much more than advertising. The era for brands shouting louder and louder in ‘creative’ advertising – on and offline - is over. The notion that the more you shout, the more likely it is that consumers buy is redundant. In fact, it was past a long time ago.

Brands now need to be engaging, authentic, respectful, distinct, balanced and strategic in their approach to connecting with all stakeholders – customers, employees, investors, partners and communities.

Brands need to engage with customers across all business touchpoints not just through advertising or slick promotions. And, all interactions must convey the brand promise, values, essence and personality of the brand with well targeted, relevant and valued propositions.

Brands need to be strategic in nature and business focused in action. Whether for a startup or a major corporate, brand should be at the centre of everything the business says and does.

For startups in particular, a clear, focused and robust brand strategy is critical; from helping to clearly identify what the business really does, why it does what it does and for whom it does, through to naming, messaging, communications and critically, with engaging employees based on a clear vision and purpose.

A brand-led approach helps deliver stronger customer relationships and trust (less churn, higher forgiveness, greater spend, etc), increases employee loyalty, and ultimately delivers greater impact, new demand, growth and value over the longer term. 

And ultimately investors and partners also benefit with reduced risk and increased ROI. Perfect!

Whether you want to improve your brand image or grow your brand engagement, the team at Affinity Brands has you covered. Reach out via contact@affinity-brands.com - we’d love to talk further.

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