Advertising and branding – they may look the same, but they are very, VERY different.

Why? Simply because are based on very different objectives, and they achieve vastly different results.

So let’s simplify it for you, once and for all.

Question 1:    What is advertising?

It is when you call attention to a product or service that you have for sale, through paid media.

Paid media means

•   newspaper ads

•   radio

•   TV commercials

•   magazines / press advertising

•   flyers etc.

It is you telling people to come and buy their stuff, so is generally price driven.

By using advertising to tell people to buy their stuff, you are hoping that you are getting the attention of the right people, who are in the right stage of the buying process, at that very moment.

It can be also known as ‘casting a very wide net’.

If they aren’t, you hope that they remember you when they are.

It is a traditional way of convincing customers that your products or services are the ones to buy.

It is tactical activities, pushing products to consumers.

Advertising hits your customers in their face.

Clearly, advertising can be an excellent investment, if executed well with targeted messages and activities.  BUT if it is not planned properly, it can be a very, VERY costly exercise.

 

Question 2:   What is branding?

It is when you engage a customer in conversation about the industry in which you sit.

It is when you become part of the dialogue, what sticks in the customers mind with regard to your product or service, over a longer period of time.

Branding is what people tell each other about your business.

By using branding, you engage the customer to have a positive experience of your business, so that no matter where they are in the buying process, when it comes time to part with cold, hard cash, they think of you first.

It is strategy, personality, and humanity, compelling and pulling customers in to engage with your business.

Branding talks to your customers through their minds, and their hearts.

Branding is emotional.

Branding is an essential investment, as vital as having a clear vision or strategy for your business. If not thought through well, it can present your business as haphazard, or not authentic.

 

Most importantly though, how does branding and /or advertising affect my business, and my customers?

And this, my friends, is what it is all about.

Advertising may compel you to buy that new Holden Spark.

Branding is what compels you to buy Holdens for the rest of your life.

 

Want to know more? Get in touch.