Branding sets your narrative before the crisis hits
Branding and advertising are two of the most common words in the communications strategy world. But what do they mean when it comes to your organization’s success?
Branding Versus Advertising
Advertising is typically associated with paid commercials placed in print, online, radio, television, or podcasts. They attract consumer dollars to a particular product or service.
Branding is a totally different animal. It showcases your company’s values, services or products, and internal culture. It incorporates everything from your logo to advertising to how your staff treats customers. Done right, branding makes you/your organization fireproof before a crisis arrives.
As our friends at Mountain View Marketing put it, branding is your known identity in the marketplace. It can take years to establish this identity, which is why branding is a long-term commitment to success which often incorporates advertising.
Proven Media Solutions provides branding and the publicity version of advertising for our clients. We work with clients on short-term projects such as upcoming events — effectively the earned media version of advertising — and long-term branding that includes short-term project needs.
Client in a Crisis
We saw the value of brand recognition with a client who was recently in a crisis communications situation. Proven Media Solutions had previously worked with the client on increasing his brand presence through content creation, digital strategy, influencer connections, and media placements.
When the crisis hit, the client called us in. We used his well-established brand within key industry segments to place him in key media outlets through a statement, an op-ed, and a television appearance. The client’s brand allowed for success with this quick-turnaround publicity advertising campaign.
As you consider your personal or professional brand, remember that being pro-active is always better than reacting. Advertising will help people know you now — but branding should make you fireproof before the fire. If your target markets and stakeholders don’t know you before the crisis, they definitely won’t appreciate you during or after a crisis — because it’s too late. Reacting is explaining, and when you’re explaining, you’ve already lost.
Contact us now to start your branding campaign!