Marketing vs. Branding
I began my marketing journey about a decade ago as a business development officer at a financial institution. I did everything from facilitating community-wide finance classes, to creating content for social media platforms, to attending luncheons and galas as the company rep. All of it was to market, or promote, the company.
As one of two business development officers, one could say that I was a "face" of the place, especially since my job was to be away from the desk and with the people. The company I worked for represented competency, friendliness, and relevance in its products and services. It guided the way we treated customers, co-workers, and the greater community. It was our identity, or better yet, our brand.
Therein lies the difference between branding and marketing: Marketing is the promoting or advertising of a business' products and services, while the brand is the identity of that business. Most times, when we hear the word "branding" we think of logos, slogans, icons, etc. But it's more than that! Branding is the manifestation of what a company believes in, stands for, and represents. So naturally, the brand informs and influences all of those other things: the marketing efforts, the company colors and uniforms (if any), the slogan, the people hired, the way it interacts with the greater community, etc.
When people seek advice about modifying their marketing processes, my first course of action is to get them to explain the company's brand/identity. Many times, we discover that the brand and the marketing are incongruent. In other words, they don't match!
Long story short, we tend to use these terms interchangeably. Although they are closely related, they really aren't the same. If you want your marketing efforts to be effective and profitable, then it pays to solidify who you are first. The age-old advice is true: "Once you find who you are, you can figure out where you're going."
And remember, Superlative is here to assist you with your branding (and marketing) needs!
