Stop the Confusion!

Brand vs Marketing vs Advertising - Vive la différence!

In TheHartford.com's Business Playbook, the difference between the three is this: advertising can enhance brand awareness, while branding drives the style and direction of advertising campaigns. Marketing can manage brand accountability and shore up a brand's reputation, in addition to promoting ad campaigns.

Advertising is the part of marketing that focuses on acquiring customers or clients and what is needed to drive sales. Target audiences are the focus of each campaign (mostly paid) and they are reached through all traditional as well as newer media platforms.

Marketing includes projects to build knowledge of your company's products and services. Through marketing efforts, you look to forward the brand while safeguarding what the brand represents. Any and all interactions including those on social media platforms, customer service interactions, personal relationships, all print and online media including websites and profile pages online, and any other "thing" that uses your brand imagery.

Branding is what your company believes in, what it represents, the "why", the reason it exists, and how consumers feel about your business and products. This is where the words "loyalty" and "long-term" come into play as the commitment of everyone in the company weighs heavily on how your brand is perceived. Company name, logo, tagline, fonts, and color scheme - these elements identify your brand. Think Coca-Cola. Think American Express. Think Amazon. Creating a link in decision-makers' minds between what they need and what you can provide and the way you provide the fix to their need - that is branding.

My number one tip to anyone looking to succeed with branding is to develop their unique identity. When you have defined your branding archetype, you can develop an identity, focus your message, and use your voice to reach a larger audience more efficiently. What people say about you once you leave the space in front of them will determine their interaction with you.

Jane helps entrepreneurs create a Profitable Resilience Plan to powerfully transform their businesses by creating "Wealth Wisdom", focusing on value, pricing, and pushing profits higher. We fine-tune your "Signature System", making it a core strategy of a marketing plan based on your authentic brand. By reaching a broader audience, we increase visibility, profits and consistency. In her role as the NY Global Business Connector for Women Speakers Association, she connects women with an international network of powerful “Message Makers”, providing resources, community, and training on clarifying a message, brand or service and increasing visibility. Jane's articles have appeared in BrainzMagazine.com; her upcoming collaborative book, Voices of the 21st Century: Resilient Women Who Rise (release date Feb. 23, 2021), and at janeparmel.com.