Harmonizing Brand and Performance Marketing

I recently wrote about the difficulties digital marketers have in the current marketing landscape and the importance of focusing on the customer experience. I’d like to build on that thought, because the customer experience begins with brand building and follows the entire customer journey. Strategically, I see a lot of marketers treat performance marketing as a separate activity from brand building. Or thinking that the same ad can do both jobs,

This was recently addressed by an article by Mark Ritson, titled “There’s no such thing as ‘performance branding’ marketing” which I found thought provoking. He makes the useful point that brand builds sales but performance marketing does not build brand.

I see some debate around the relationship between brand marketing and performance marketing. These strategies, while essential, should not be merged within a single campaign execution as this often leads to diluted results. Mark Ritson uses a great campaign by ANZ Bank to demonstrate the importance of separating long-term brand-building efforts from short-term performance-driven objectives.

ANZ and the Sharma Family: A Case Study

ANZ’s marketing success highlights how brands can effectively separate brand-building and performance efforts while keeping them strategically aligned. One reason I love this campaign is because it doesn’t rely on a key visual to integrate different channels and executions.

ANZ faced a decline in share of voice, consideration, and reputation. In response, a new strategy for the New Zealand market centered on a broad communications platform that addressed the financial realities of New Zealanders. The messaging shifted focus from 'why' customers wanted to achieve financial goals to 'how' they could reach them. This insight drove the creation of memorable campaigns featuring the fictional Sharma family and the launch of innovative products like sustainable home energy loans. Results were evident in increased customer acquisition, market share growth, and econometric analysis showing an estimated $183 million in profit generated..

The bank’s recent campaign centered on Claire, the mother of the fictional Sharma family, who launches her own dressmaking business, Claire + Co. This campaign is a perfect example of how a brand can balance its broader brand message with tactical support for specific audiences—in this case, small business owners.

The long-form 90-second TV spot celebrates Claire’s success in her first two years of business and emphasizes ANZ’s commitment to helping small businesses thrive. The HOWTWO Small Business Support Programme, provide practical tools and services for new businesses. The campaign is designed to ladder up to ANZ’s broader WE DO HOW platform, which showcases the bank’s role in providing actionable solutions ("how") to complex business challenges.

This strategic separation between brand and product is essential for success. On one side, the campaign builds emotional connections through storytelling, presenting Claire's business journey in a way that resonates with viewers. On the other, ANZ positions itself as a practical partner for small businesses by promoting specific services like fee waivers, expert consultations, and data insights.

Having worked with ANZ Bank in the past, I know how good they are at using insights to map out customer journeys and planning campaigns across the entire funnel.

Brand vs. Performance: The Long and Short Debate

The experience of ANZ echoes a broader industry trend, where many brands struggle to combine long-term brand-building with short-term performance goals. Campaigns attempting to serve both brand and performance objectives simultaneously often underperform, as neither goal is given the focus it deserves.

At ANZ, this tension was evident when the long-term, emotionally driven Sharma family narrative slowly shifted towards shorter, sales-oriented ads. Internal stakeholders wanted more overt product promotion, which diluted the emotional impact of the original campaign. ANZ’s CMO, Astrud Burgess, quickly realized that trying to merge brand and performance in the same ad compromised both objectives.

A Strategic Separation of Brand and Performance

As shown in the most recent Sharma family campaign, ANZ has successfully returned to a clearer separation between brand and performance marketing. Claire's business journey highlights the emotional, long-term storytelling needed for brand-building, while additional spots focus on ANZ’s small business banking propositions, such as its specialized HOWTWO programme.

This approach illustrates the importance of focusing on brand-building efforts that engage audiences emotionally, while also deploying targeted, performance-driven tactics that promote specific products or services to generate immediate results.

Conclusion

Marketers must avoid the trap of "performance branding"—the attempt to merge brand-building and short-term sales in one campaign. As ANZ’s journey shows, separating brand and performance strategies, while ensuring they are aligned under a coherent brand message, leads to both long-term brand health and short-term commercial success. For businesses like ANZ, this balanced approach has not only built a stronger brand but also driven tangible results, particularly for key customer segments like small businesses.

What are your thoughts?

Do you have a recent favourite campaign that illustrates this point of view?