Brand First and Market Later.
While building my career as a brand designer, I often found myself saying, “I don’t do marketing.” In fact—I do, but only after the brand is built.
Business, branding, and marketing work together. They often start in that order, a brand requiring a business model, and marketing requiring a brand. A successful business has each defined, while playing off of each other.
Let’s compare two kinds of brands in the same industry. Picture a burger ad from a high-end steakhouse. Now picture one from a drive-thru. Same food group, totally different vibes.
Behind the scenes, these businesses had to consider:
Where will the customer be eating? What’s the setting like? Is it plated or in a paper bag?
What’s the price point?
Who’s handing it to you—and how?
With those decisions, we begin building an atmosphere. With consideration to the lighting, uniforms, signage, tone of voice, we start building a brand.
Are we going for elegance or ease?
Sophistication or speed?
Sincerity or sarcasm?
Will it be formal or casual?
Defining these details builds a fluid customer journey. And without branding, a business transaction can be provided: Order a burger, hand us money, we’ll provide you with food.
What transforms this into a brand experience is the flare and personality making it a memorable experience. Color, signage, and verbiage used when communicating in print or person. Customized packaging, uniforms, and menus create differentiation for us to remember this place’s product over another place’s.
With every moment the customer is engaging with your brand, there is an opportunity to build recognition and trust. If a company is successfully recognized and trusted, customer loyalty naturally follows.
Now, the moment your company creates a call to action is when it becomes marketing. After, the personality has been built, your brand starts talking to your customers. Through storytelling, informing, and dare we say flirting, we invite the customer to consider engaging with the company. That’s marketing.
“Follow the link”
“Tune in” or “Subscribe”
“Make a reservation”
For most people, all of that just blends into one big “that’s business” approach.
Those who pay attention to detail—and knowing which details matter when—are taking their brands from the good from the great. And they’re doing it so well, it blends together seamlessly.
Here’s a simpler way to think about the three:
Business = the structured idea behind your product or service
Branding = the personality built to connect your business with real people
Marketing = the invitation to take action (usually: buy, follow, support, share)
Put another way:
Know your product → What’s the value-add to your customer’s life?
Know your essence → What experience are you building around it?
Then market it → Reach the people who’ll not just buy—but come back and bring friends.
A strong business sets the foundation.
A strong brand builds the connection.
A strong marketing plan brings it all home.
You build the business. We’ll help you build the brand—then the marketing can start speaking loud and clear. We can help you with that too.
