Bridging the Gap: How Brand and Performance Marketing Work Best Together

Brand versus performance marketing – the perpetual debate – so it was refreshing to hear a discussion at BIMA’s SXSQ London house suggesting the answer might lie in working together. And I don’t mean doing both in silos but splitting the budget 50:50 – I mean actually working together.

1. Marketing budgets are shrinking (from 9% to 7% of revenue, according to Gartner), so siloed teams and budgets are a luxury we can’t afford.

2. Brand and performance are not rivals—they’re partners. A strong brand amplifies performance, and performance reinforces brand equity. Strong creative execution and storytelling are what bring brand and performance together. And to a customer – it’s all one journey anyway.

3. CMO tenures are shorter than ever, leading to a crisis of confidence in backing long term plans. New leaders must choose between continuity and change - agencies can help bridge that gap.

4. The CFO conversation is tough. Quarterly reporting means pressure for immediate results. To open up the case for long term brand investment marketers need to speak the language of the boardroom – how will this drive market share, not how will it drive brand equity.

5. Brand platforms are long lasting. Sometimes individual campaigns pose as brand platforms, but a truly thought through strategically sound brand platform will last multiple years. Which is much cheaper, and more effective, than creating a new one every year.

True was created to focus on top of the funnel brand awareness, because every other B2B agency focused on bottom of the funnel performance. The reality is that we do full funnel campaigns, but we believe that starting from a strong brand platform will ultimately make all other marketing more effective. And we do love effectiveness!