Brand Strategy

Why “Branding” and “Brand Strategy” Aren’t the Same Thing

I want to talk to you about how brand strategy drives enterprise business value, because that’s really what it all comes down to. Buckle up, and giddy up!

These days, brand has become a very loaded word — one that’s misunderstood, honestly, by most executives. 

What Brand is Not

Brand has become the extrapolation of branding. Everybody thinks that brand is about the logos, the color palettes, the fonts, the typography — but that’s not brand. That’s your branding. That’s your style guide. Those are the things that you need to do in your market so that your brand looks consistent. However, that is not your brand strategy. Your brand strategy informs your branding, but they are not the same thing. I’m going to tell you why. 

Brand Strategy 101

Your brand strategy is all of the foundational things that your business stands for. It is your pillars, your mission, your vision, your positioning, your story, your voice, your customer personas, your unique value proposition — all of those things which only your business can stand for. And the combination of all of those things are what create the tailwind for your go-to-market. With these, you now have a unique value proposition, you know who you’re talking to, you know what you’re going to tell them, you know how you’re going to sound when you tell it to them, and you know what you stand for. 

Why it Matters

When you have the combination of all of those things, it creates incredible momentum. You don’t have to have marketers trying to reinvent the wheel every single time or figure things out as they go, because they know the playbook. Think of your brand strategy as the playbook for your go-to-market. It is going to inform everything that you do — so make it consistent, efficient, relevant, meaningful, and connected to your target audience. That’s what it’s all about. 

Giddy up!

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