Why the term “branding” is outdated?

Let’s put it straight, we all want to get results out of each and every marketing dollar spent. What do we all understand by the results? Money. No matter how fancy you call it, might it be ROI or Sales goals, all what every marketing person dreams at night is to get 2 dollars on each dollar spent. You might argue that but that art has one goal. 

So what does the branding stands for?

According to the first Google search result it is:

“Branding is a marketing strategy that involves creating a differentiated name and image -- often using a logo and/or tag line -- in order to establish a presence in the consumer's mind and attract and keep customers.”

In the Digital Advertising industry we refer to branding as to the way of advertising without a direct conversion purpose. What does that mean is that you place your banners all around? Your only purpose is to make people either recognise your brand or inform about the product of your already well know brand. Presence in the consumer’s mind as was said above. The only key word here is consumers. Consumers mean — money. If the consumer is attached and advocates your brand s/he buys more. All the rest was invented by the marketeers to bump more money out of the clients or to make it all seem art.
No art - science only.

Another reason for people in the industry to call it branding (that is not that uncommon) is to hide the true intentions. And the only true intentions you would like to hide are fraudulent of course. All kinds of it.

So why have we been using ads for branding at all. That is simple. In the pre-digital era when people did not have all those fancy instruments really making magic out of your campaigns marketers had to struggle with the measurement of the effect made by the ad campaigns. If you had been in that skin you know all the ratings that rule the TV and Radio, vague audience analysis and other fancy figures from the pre-digital age. When I think about that it makes me truly respect those brave pioneers of marketing who ran campaigns on assumptions and theories. But come on, we are in the VR reality age, no more assumptions. Pragmatic measurement of every impression made. Laser-beam targeting. Cutting edge real-time decision making tools. 

The modern marketeer is a scientist and s/he wants transparency in everything, measurement is the king.

So no more branding please, unless it sells better.

And don't get me wrong I do believe in the brand domination in the minds of the consumers. But to build it you don't have to make "branding" you have to sell as much as you can, tell a story that sells and make people want more by the perfect service and quality.