Performance branding in five strategic steps

The market is full. Crowded. And that means: competition in large numbers. Therefore, just building good websites and shops is no longer enough. Companies are struggling with disappointing revenues and efficient marketing strategies. To grow, maximize your digital potential and increase market share, innovative solutions are needed. Performance branding offers this solution.

Where did the term performance branding come from?

Back in 2020, McKinsey wrote about “performance branding,” where performance marketing and branding come together. He stresses the importance of a full-funnel approach. In fact, in today's marketing world, all e-commerce managers are too focused on the end of the funnel: performance marketing. Everything is about conversions. As a result, the upper part of the funnel, the upper funnel, which focuses on branding, is neglected.

Despite McKinsey being there early on, the term “performance branding” didn't really stick. But until recently LinkedIn brought the term back to the forefront. When a performance marketing giant like LinkedIn signals a change, alarm bells should ring. Companies that ignore this are missing the boat.

Focus on long-term results

Traditional lead generation captures existing demand but does not create new demand. It does not increase market share. By building mental availability and brand preference and combining it with performance marketing, performance branding reaches both current and prospective buyers. Companies that focus only on Google's traditional funnel thinking and short-term results miss the opportunity to seriously scale their business.

Performance branding can be rolled out in five strategic steps, which collectively provide a holistic approach to brand building and management. Following are the steps with detailed descriptions.

1. Reach the entire category

It is important to reach a broad audience across the entire product category. This means not only addressing current buyers, but also prospective buyers who may not yet have interacted with your brand.

2. Communicate around multiple relevant category entry points.

Create conversation and make your brand conversational through storytelling. Identify and communicate around the different times when consumers might think of your brand - the category entry points (CEPs). By being relevant at multiple CEPs, you ensure that your brand stays top-of-mind in different buying situations.

3. Brand everything

Make sure your brand is recognizable in every possible interaction and point of contact. This means your branding should be consistent across all touchpoints. Everything a consumer sees, hears or experiences should align with your brand identity. Consistency helps build recognition and trust with your target audience.

4. Measure everything

What gets measured, gets managed. Use dashboards and analytical tools to measure and evaluate all marketing activities. That way, you can quickly adjust your strategies for optimal results. 

5. Be distinctive & make it easy!

Make sure your brand stands out from the competition by being unique and recognizable. At the same time, make it as easy as possible for consumers to choose your brand.

In a digital and data-centric world, our approach gives marketers the tools to assess and optimize the effectiveness of their efforts on both branding and performance marketing by bringing it together in one integrated dashboard. With aligned variables.

• (Programmatic) advertising
• Size of the category
• Your share of the category
• Purchase frequencies
• Brand awareness (TOMA)
• Brand engagement (brand equity & NPS)
• Distinctiveness (liquid death)
• Brand consideration and preference
• Conversions and costs
• Customer satisfaction and loyalty
• Online Mentioning and Sentiment on social, among others