Whatever your industry or sector, and whatever the size of your business today, you can turn your brand into a household name by understanding the difference between branding and brand management, and using their specific strengths at the right time.
Some may see these terms as just industry buzzwords... at their own peril. In reality branding and brand management represent distinct strategies, each essential for long-term success. It’s not just my opinion—the most successful brands, mainstream or boutique across sectors, prove it. So let's see how branding and brand management can work together to create and sustain great brands, and why using both in a coordinated way is vital for any business today.
What is Branding? Crafting a Unique Identity That Inspires Trust
Branding is the process of defining your business’s identity so that people know who is talking to them, what to expect and, more importantly, why they should choose (and stick to) you. Because before they buy from you, they need to buy into you, right?
Branding is giving your business a face, a voice, a personality and a culture that aligns with your core purpose, and helps people understand not just what your product is, but who makes it, and how and why you make it the way you do. One thing is important to understand here: good branding does not aim to please everyone, but rather to transform a particular target audience into absolute fans. Brand management will then be used to grow this fan base.
Take Bang & Olufsen, the Danish audio-visual brand. Known for its minimalistic design and premium sound quality, Bang & Olufsen has branded itself as a luxury tech provider with a commitment to innovation. Without ever compromising this identity (then you can like it or not), every product and ad underscores this promise, positioning it as a brand that values craftsmanship and exclusivity.
Key Takeaway: Branding is a matter of belief, not reason. If you're still sceptical, try converting a BMW driver to Mercedes-Benz... And tell me how it went. Because people are drawn and loyal to ideas and not to products in time, branding is about defining and communicating your purpose, connecting emotionally with your people, and creating a clear identity that they trust.
Brand Management: Sustaining, Growing, and Protecting Your Brand’s Value Over Time
While branding establishes the foundation, brand management is about maintaining that foundation in a way that adapts to change. Brand management means overseeing and guiding the brand’s development and reputation; it means ensuring the match stays perfect between the brand identity, customer expectations, and market developments.
It’s about implementation strategy and control, taking the brand identity created through branding and building a presence and a reputation that holds value over the long term. But it is NOT about modifying the brand's core identity for commercial or opportunistic reasons.
Consider Rolex. Their brand management team carefully curates where and how their watches are sold, maintaining an image of exclusivity. By controlling everything from sponsorships to distribution, Rolex reinforces the perception of timeless luxury and keeps the brand aligned with its reputation for sophistication and precision.
Insight: Brand management ensures your brand remains present, consistent, relevant, and desirable, protecting the immutable value that branding has established (almost) once and for all.
Why Branding and Brand Management Are Two Parts of a Complete Strategy
Branding and brand management serve unique yet complementary roles, one being creation and the other being action, each essential for different stages of growth. Branding builds initial value by defining who you are and why you matter; brand management then implements, sustains and grows that value by preserving presence, trust and reputation.
Branding: Creating a Strong Foundation
Emotional and Cultural Connection: Identifying what will make your brand meaningful to your customers, and how it will integrate in their daily (personal or professional) life.
Brand Positioning: Determining your market position and why customers should choose you.
Messaging and Visual Consistency: From your logo to tone of voice, building recognizable elements that reinforce your identity.
Example: Alessi, the Italian designer of kitchenware, built a brand identity that combines high-end design with everyday functionality. Its products and messaging are culturally aligned with design enthusiasts who see art in practical items, creating a lasting emotional appeal that reinforces its unique position in the market.
Brand Management: Protecting and Expanding on Your Brand’s Foundation
Customer Trust and Loyalty: Ensuring customer experience matches brand promises, cultivating trust.
Reputation Management: Responding to feedback and protecting brand perception.
Strategic Adaptation: Adjusting to market trends and customer needs without losing core values.
Example: Hermès takes brand management very seriously by maintaining exclusivity. They release limited quantities of products and closely control distribution, which preserves their reputation as a high-value brand and aligns with customer expectations for rarity, outstanding quality, and luxury.
When Should You Focus on Branding vs. Brand Management?
Whether you’re launching or expanding, understanding when to prioritize branding or brand management can make all the difference.
Branding First
Focus on branding when creating a new business or product, or rebranding to clarify your message. A well-crafted identity helps customers instantly, but deeply, feel, understand and value who you are as a whole.
Brand Management Next
Once the identity established, shift to brand management to ensure consistency and adapt to new challenges. Sustaining your brand means protecting it from fluctuations and nurturing its presence and reputation.
Pro Tip: For businesses in rapid growth mode, a clear branding strategy backed by strong brand management is key to create and preserve your market position.
Real-World Examples: Brands Mastering Branding and Brand Management
Case Study: LUSH Cosmetics, a Brand Built for Ethical Consumers
LUSH established a unique identity by focusing on sustainability and ethics, which attract environmentally conscious consumers. Their branding emphasizes product freshness and transparency, while brand management ensures that everything from sourcing to sales aligns with these values. LUSH’s consistency has earned it a loyal following that sees the brand as more than just a product—it’s a cause.
Key Insight: Consistent brand management, paired with a strong brand identity, creates lasting customer trust and loyalty.
Case Study: Chanel, or How to Blend Tradition with Innovation
Chanel’s brand management carefully protects the brand’s legacy while embracing modern trends. While iconic products like the Chanel No.5 perfume remain timeless, new collections and collaborations keep the brand appealing to contemporary tastes. This balance preserves Chanel’s elite status, making it relevant to both established and new luxury markets.
Key Insight: Chanel’s approach to brand management shows that heritage can coexist with innovation, ensuring the brand stays both relevant and respected.
Branding and Brand Management: Which Should You Prioritize?
Each stage of a brand’s journey requires a different focus, but understanding when to apply branding versus brand management will maximize your brand’s impact and avoid brand failure.
When to Focus on Branding
Launching a business or product.
Rebranding for clarity or to target a new audience.
Developing a strong, recognizable identity.
When to Focus on Brand Management
Expanding into new markets or regions.
Building customer loyalty and protecting reputation.
Reinforcing the brand’s established image and value in a competitive market.
Creating a Strong Brand is Only the Beginning: Here’s How to Sustain It
A brand’s strength doesn’t just come from creation; it grows through consistent management. Branding lays the groundwork, but brand management keeps your brand present, relevant, and desirable. Together, branding and brand management help businesses build and maintain long-term customer loyalty, and increase growth.
Fun Fact: How to Increase Your Brand Presence at (Almost) No Cost
Did you know that Red Bull in their early days, not having the budget to compete with the biggest brands, used ultra-creative but cost next to nothing guerrilla techniques to increase their brand presence?
For example, when they wanted to enter the club and nightclub market in London, they filled the trash cans with empty Red Bull cans around the trendiest places. So every time people threw something in the trash around a club, they saw these cans and concluded that Red Bull was an established brand that everyone knew and consumed. And the rest is history.
Are You About to Create a New Brand or Improve Your Existing One?
Whether you're an entrepreneur, a business leader, or a marketing executive, don't do it before before taking this course. Now that you make the brand management vs. branding distinction, the Brand Master online course gives you the step-by-step process, tools and resources, in the right sequence, that you need for success.
Useful Reads
Here are three highly recommended books that delve deeper into the distinctions between branding and brand management, showing how each contributes to a successful business strategy:
David Aaker, a pioneer in brand management, explores what it takes to build and maintain a powerful brand. This book dives into foundational branding concepts like brand identity and positioning while also covering brand equity and strategic brand management, giving readers a clear picture of how branding efforts create value, and how brand management sustains it.
This book builds on Aaker's previous work, focusing on the strategic processes behind brand management and leadership. It explains the shift from tactical branding to long-term brand management, addressing how to leverage brand assets and ensure a brand stays relevant and respected in changing markets.
A recent addition to the branding field, this book provides a modern perspective on building and managing brands in a connected, digital world. With contributions from marketing experts at the Kellogg School of Management, it covers both foundational branding principles and the strategic elements of brand management in the digital age, making it particularly useful for those balancing brand creation with reputation and engagement.
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