{"id":91974,"date":"2026-04-14T08:07:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/?p=91974"},"modified":"2026-04-14T08:07:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T13:07:34","slug":"brand-marketing-vs-product-marketing-whats-the-difference-and-which-should-you-invest-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/04\/brand-marketing-vs-product-marketing-whats-the-difference-and-which-should-you-invest-in.html","title":{"rendered":"Brand Marketing vs. Product Marketing: What\u2019s the Difference and Which Should You Invest In?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In 2018, after two short years and $3 million raised in startup funds, recruitment AI company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.failory.com\/interview\/ansaro\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ansaro<\/a> shut down due to bad market fit. As it turned out, their AI interview notetaker didn\u2019t address a huge pain point.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.failory.com\/interview\/muun\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Muun<\/a> found a market need but failed to compete with bigger names that provided customers with authoritative content and resources. Muun\u2019s more well-known competitors had more features and better pricing.<\/p>\n<p>Both companies suffered from a fatal lack of marketing. One neglected its positioning by failing to target the biggest pain point, and the other failed to build a brand that its customers could trust above the other major players.<\/p>\n<p>To succeed in today\u2019s crowded market, you need to harmonize product marketing and brand marketing.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, you\u2019ll learn the difference between <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/institute\/programs\/brand-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">brand marketing<\/a> and product marketing, and how to balance both to stand out above the crowd.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-brand-vs-product-marketing-friends-or-foe\">Brand vs product marketing: Friends or foe?<\/h2>\n<p>Both <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/brand-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">brand marketing<\/a> and product marketing are important to a well-built <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/institute\/online-course\/marketing-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">marketing strategy<\/a>. They rely on each other for success.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Product marketing<\/strong> informs strategic positioning and ensures alignment across the company. It partners with sales to close more revenue, informs product teams to deliver better products, and in some cases, co-owns demand generation activities with marketing teams.<\/p>\n<p>Product marketing is responsible for tasks like:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Developing and executing go-to-market (GTM) strategies;<\/li>\n<li>Researching and understanding target segments;<\/li>\n<li>Analyzing competitor activities;<\/li>\n<li>Developing product <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/value-proposition-examples-how-to-create\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">value propositions<\/a>;<\/li>\n<li>Defining <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/messaging-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">messaging strategies<\/a>;<\/li>\n<li>Ensuring customer success teams and salespeople understand the product features.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Product marketing uncovers where to play and how to win. And then it ensures that all of the organization\u2019s efforts match that true north.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Brand marketing<\/strong> provides a strategic approach to building relationships between your brand and your customers. It uses the insights gained in product marketing to work out how to reach them.<\/p>\n<p>The goal of brand marketing is to <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/institute\/programs\/brand-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">make your brand the first and most obvious choice<\/a> when they\u2019re looking to buy.<\/p>\n<p>Brand marketing is concerned with objectives such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/brand-tracking\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brand tracking<\/a>, identity, and recognition;<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cxl.com\/blog\/brand-awareness-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Improving brand awareness<\/a>;<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cxl.com\/blog\/what-is-brand-equity-in-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Building brand equity<\/a>;<\/li>\n<li>Understanding and influencing consumer perceptions about the brand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Brand marketing is about building connections through emotion and experiences, a key driver in consumer decision-making. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/inside-the-consumer-mind\/201302\/how-emotions-influence-what-we-buy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Peter Noel Murray, Ph.D., reports<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>\u201cFunctional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) shows that when evaluating brands, consumers primarily use emotions (personal feelings and experiences), rather than information (brand attributes, features, and facts).\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>When consumers make purchasing decisions, the choice is more driven by <em>how they feel about your brand<\/em> than <em>what they know about your product<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Take <a href=\"https:\/\/bellroy.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bellroy<\/a>, a leather accessories retailer.<\/p>\n<p>Their predominantly male audience has a problem: fitting a full wallet into their back pocket.<\/p>\n<p>Bellroy has designed a range of slimline wallets to solve this challenge. They use product marketing techniques to target and educate their customers.<\/p>\n<p>Using an interactive slider, Bellroy calls out the competition. They demonstrate how much slimmer their wallets are compared to a competitor, tackling both what it does and why it\u2019s the superior choice.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bellroy.com\/explore\/slim-your-wallet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bellroy follows this with a brief animated video that uses storytelling (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.harvardbusiness.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scientifically linked to emotional responses<\/a>) to describe common pain points and answer the critical question, \u201cWhy do I need it?\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>This is where brand marketing makes a play. Product marketing tells Bellroy that discomfort while sitting is a (literal) pain point for their male audience. Brand marketing paints this picture for them through story.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bellroy.com\/explore\/slim-your-wallet\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Bellroy understands what captures the attention of their target audience (beyond the relevant challenges) based on their market research. Using this, the brand taps into <strong>broader motivations<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>They use these insights to launch <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/branding-campaign\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">branding campaigns<\/a> aimed at influencing brand associations (customer feelings about your brand).<\/p>\n<p>Bellroy has built a <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/social-media-brand-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">consistent identity across social media<\/a> that evokes feelings of adventure, durability, and uniqueness.<\/p>\n<p>For example, here\u2019s their vibe on Instagram:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a video on Twitter featuring their products being packed away onto airplanes and put through trials:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Bellroy\/status\/1220569964534329344\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The consistent messaging makes customers associate their products with travel and touches on shared sustainable values. The aim is to be the top-of-mind brand when their jet-setting target customer next needs a wallet.<\/p>\n<p>Bellroy needs product marketing to position their wallets and educate their users about their most relevant benefits. They need <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/brand-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">brand marketing<\/a> to elicit positive feelings about their brand and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cxl.com\/blog\/brand-awareness-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">build awareness<\/a> and loyalty.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-product-marketing-drive-brand-alignment\">Product marketing: Drive brand alignment<\/h2>\n<p>Product marketing teams spend most of their time liaising with product teams (88.3% of their time), marketing teams (84.2%), and sales teams (75.9%).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/productmarketingalliance.com\/product-marketing-stats\/#product-marketing-roles-responsibilities-and-team-infrastructure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Product marketers own a variety of marketing responsibilities, which can be roughly divided into two broad categories: pre-launch and post-launch.<\/p>\n<p>During product development and before launch, product marketing responsibilities revolve around the GTM strategy, positioning, and developing messaging.<\/p>\n<p>Post-launch, product marketers focus on improving sales enablement and work to drive demand and adoption of the product. Product marketing shows value in its ability to improve usage, lift customer LTVs, and decrease churn.<\/p>\n<p>This is particularly true for complex verticals such as B2B SaaS products, where product marketing\u2019s ability to pinpoint users with the most need and educate them on product features and benefits proves useful.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/convertkit.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ConvertKit<\/a> is a prime example of product marketing propelling a brand to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.saastock.com\/blog\/bootstrapping-29-million-arr-80-million-ltv\/?utm_campaign=General%20Marketing&amp;utm_content=181692815&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;hss_channel=tw-4256000321\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$29 million ARR and $80 million LTV<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The marketing platform has a specific and <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/unique-selling-proposition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unique selling position<\/a>: \u201cThe only marketing platform built for creators, by creators.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/convertkit.com\/handbook\/our-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">But success didn\u2019t happen overnight<\/a>. Founder Nathan Barry launched in 2013 to help creators sell their books and courses but failed to meet revenue goals and eventually stalled.<\/p>\n<p>After doubling down and investing resources specifically into the email marketing for creators niche, revenue started to build again.<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, the brand invested again in a redesign to distance themselves from incoming competitors. It included visual funnels, automations, and other features inspired by how the platform can best <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/customer-centric-brands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">meet the needs of the customer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>ConvertKit has positioned its messaging to reflect their creator-focused mission and answer three questions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why buy anything?<\/li>\n<li>Why buy now?<\/li>\n<li>Why buy from you?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Prelaunch, ConvertKit discovered a niche to occupy and targeted its messaging towards creators. Post-launch, the brand optimized its product and messaging again and finally saw the revenue jumps they had hoped for.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-defining-your-brand-s-building-blocks-with-product-marketing\">Defining your brand\u2019s building blocks with product marketing<\/h3>\n<p>Product marketing is responsible for securing the company\u2019s positioning, messaging, and value proposition. Once identified, it will ensure these functions are represented in everything the company does.<\/p>\n<p>Market <strong>positioning<\/strong> refers to your brand or product\u2019s ability to influence buyer perception relative to your competitors.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/market-positioning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Positioning<\/a> is the reason ConvertKit wins with creators, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drip.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Drip<\/a> is favored in the SaaS and ecommerce market.<\/p>\n<p>ConvertKit and Drip both technically do the same thing. They\u2019re marketing platforms with a heavy focus on email.<\/p>\n<p>But you can see from the value proposition on Drip\u2019s homepage that they\u2019re targeting ecommerce, while ConvertKit calls out creators.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Messaging<\/strong> is a subset of your positioning. It defines <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/institute\/online-course\/product-messaging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">what you want to communicate to your audience and in what form<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>ConvertKit\u2019s messaging centers around validating business education (because many creators are not businesspeople) and building a creator community.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2453094 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.business2community.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/convertkit-example-messaging-web-page-screenshot.jpg?resize=731%2C479&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"screenshot convertkit example messaging web page\" width=\"731\" height=\"479\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Drip\u2019s messaging focuses on business best practices and support for independent companies.<\/p>\n<p>Both companies offer heaps of resources, from blog articles to webinars.<\/p>\n<p>And the <strong>value proposition<\/strong> is a crystal-clear, big picture articulation of <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/value-proposition-examples-how-to-create\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">why buyers should engage with your business<\/a> rather than a competitor. It\u2019s arguably the most important component of your marketing messaging because it will drive your target customers away if it\u2019s not on point.<\/p>\n<p>While there is no perfect formula, your value proposition should at least contain these ingredients:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>An <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/5-characteristics-high-converting-headlines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attention-grabbing headline<\/a>;<\/li>\n<li>A short sub-headline answering what you offer, who you offer it to, and why it\u2019s effective;<\/li>\n<li>The key benefits or features;<\/li>\n<li>A <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/ecommerce-best-practices\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visual showing the product<\/a> that reinforces the main message.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at another example in <a href=\"https:\/\/bubble.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bubble.io<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Bubble.io clearly states what they do (\u201cbuild web apps\u201d), their benefits (\u201cwithout code\u201d), and who it\u2019s for (\u201centrepreneurs\u201d). It also uses social proof (\u201cjoin 1,336,580 Bubblers\u201d) to build trust and includes an animated visual of the user-friendly experience.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-use-product-marketing-to-boost-reach-and-sales\">Use product marketing to boost reach and sales<\/h3>\n<p>While many organizations are unsure of product marketing\u2019s position within the company, the product marketing team\u2019s efforts unify the company\u2019s strategy.<\/p>\n<p>Product marketers work across the whole organization to continually zero in on the best benefits for customers and build better products in an ever-changing market landscape.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drift.com\/blog\/what-is-product-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Where you focus product marketing will depend on the goals of the company at any given moment.<\/p>\n<p>When a company is in a growth stage, focus product marketing in your marketing department. Product marketing can partner with marketers to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Find channels;<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/institute\/programs\/technical-content-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Decide on content<\/a>;<\/li>\n<li>Refine messaging; and,<\/li>\n<li>Remove friction to signing up and booking demo calls.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>One of the most direct ways product marketers can drive revenue after a product has launched is by partnering with the sales team. Product marketers enable sales teams by demonstrating how to ease friction based on where the customer is in their journey.<\/p>\n<p>Product marketers can help sales teams:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/voice-of-customer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Understand customer pain points<\/a>;<\/li>\n<li>Preempt customer questions;<\/li>\n<li>Present the solution in the best way possible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>G2 Product marketer and Forbes council member Yoni Solomon says selling the product internally is just as important as selling the product to your customers:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>\u201cBefore we\u2019re ready to sell our products to a market full of buyers, we need to first sell them to a room full of our own people. And this room full of people needs to understand the personas, problems and capabilities that are core to our value story to deliver it the right way.\u201d [via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbescommunicationscouncil\/2019\/11\/01\/softwares-next-great-battle-will-be-fought-over-its-storytellers\/?sh=2051364249ee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Forbes<\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h2 id=\"h-brand-marketing-create-a-community-of-raving-fans\">Brand marketing: Create a community of raving fans<\/h2>\n<p>Having a <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/brand-strategy-vs-marketing-strategy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">brand strategy<\/a> used to be a nice thing to have. Now, because of competition and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edelman.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a consumer trust crisis<\/a>, it\u2019s critical.<\/p>\n<p>If product marketing is figuring out what your product can do for your customer and the best way to relay that message, then brand marketing is how you execute it.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Slack <a href=\"https:\/\/dispatch.m.io\/enterprise-messaging-wars-slack-microsoft-teams\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">has been able to steal market share<\/a> from big dogs in business communication like Microsoft and Cisco.<\/p>\n<p>Slack puts a lot of effort into their brand (including a <a href=\"https:\/\/slack.com\/intl\/en-gb\/blog\/news\/say-hello-new-logo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2019 identity redesign that corrected a number of branding sins<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Their content across touchpoints like their website and <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/social-media-brand-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">social media<\/a> consistently matches their core values.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/slack.com\/intl\/en-gb\/careers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>They show empathy and solidarity by inviting mental health advocate and Olympian Simone Biles to speak at their digital conference.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SlackHQ\/status\/1458202944881451020\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>On LinkedIn, they help their users thrive by helping them set boundaries.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/tiny-spec-inc\/posts\/?feedView=all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Their values are also consistently echoed on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CQraG7MDVXo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>, where they don\u2019t always talk about the product but share stories from their users.<\/p>\n<p>Good branding helps Slack compete with giants. By creating content around their values and putting budget into resources that help their audience, like <a href=\"https:\/\/slack.com\/intl\/en-gb\/resources\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">webinars and content<\/a>, they\u2019ve <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/reputation-management\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">built their reputation<\/a> in the business communication space.<\/p>\n<p>Slack\u2019s experience isn\u2019t a phenomenon. Strong brands win across the board. According to Mary Kyriakidi, Demand Generation Director and Brand Guidance leader at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kantar.com\/uki\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kantar<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>\u201cIn good times and tough times, strong brands win. In good times, strong brands grow value faster; in tough times, strong brands recover faster.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kantar.com\/uki\/inspiration\/brands\/what-is-brand-equity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>To build a strong brand, you need customer research. Slack is only able to connect to their audience because they understand how their product can benefit them the most.<\/p>\n<p>With a solid foundation of product marketing, brand marketing can help you win a greater share of the market and even become a category leader.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h-use-brand-marketing-strategies-to-build-brand-equity\">Use brand marketing strategies to build brand equity<\/h3>\n<p>Brand equity is what makes people reach for Tylenol over the pharmaceutical alternative. It\u2019s the intangible value consumers place on a recognizable product, and it\u2019s the reason they\u2019ll opt for a more expensive option.<\/p>\n<p>Brand marketing works to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cxl.com\/blog\/what-is-brand-equity-in-marketing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">improve brand equity<\/a> by influencing the audience\u2019s perceptions of your brand. It helps consumers build cognitive shortcuts to your brand when there is too much information (or competition).<\/p>\n<p>Research suggests that people buy from brands to construct self-concepts. They form brand associations, and then choose the brand if it supports the image of themselves (and the societal group they want to be in).<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s why sustainable fashion brand <a href=\"https:\/\/anothertomorrow.co\/products\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Another Tomorrow<\/a> can charge $590 for a sweater that costs $30 from fast fashion brand <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gap.com\/browse\/product.do?pid=717800032&amp;cid=5745&amp;pcid=5745&amp;vid=1&amp;cpos=2&amp;cexp=2541&amp;kcid=CategoryIDs%3D5745&amp;cvar=21300&amp;ctype=Listing&amp;cpid=res21112900433783997517909#pdp-page-content\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Gap<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2453103 \" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.business2community.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/another-tomorrow-brand-equity-example-oversized-v-neck-product-page-screenshot.jpg?resize=731%2C389&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"screenshot another tomorrow brand equity example oversized v neck product page\" width=\"731\" height=\"389\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Use brand marketing strategies to build brand equity:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Understand what customers want<\/strong> <strong>(i.e. what they want to be).<\/strong> What ingroup are they looking to join or remain a part of?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Have an audience-aligned purpose.<\/strong> Shape your messaging and content to fit their ideal constructs, so they\u2019re inclined to absorb and share it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shape personal and company brands to fit. <\/strong>Construct content guidelines and any employee advocacy guidelines to stay true to your brand marketing strategy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"h-use-storytelling-to-enhance-brand-marketing\">Use storytelling to enhance brand marketing<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/institute\/online-course\/storytelling\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Storytelling<\/a> is a tactic commonly adopted by brand marketers as a method of resonating with their audience. It allows us to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.princeton.edu\/main\/news\/archive\/S32\/27\/76E76\/index.xml?section=science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">connect directly with brain areas<\/a> that are associated with experience, feeling, and emotion.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/marketoonist.com\/2011\/04\/brand-storytelling.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>G2\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbescommunicationscouncil\/2019\/11\/01\/softwares-next-great-battle-will-be-fought-over-its-storytellers\/?sh=2051364249ee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Yoni Solomon<\/a> believes we need to sell our products internally before we sell them externally to unify the message.<\/p>\n<p>He also believes that with compounding competition (15,000 SaaS companies in the US in 2021), stories will be what drives sales in the coming years:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p>\u201cWe\u2019ve proven we can come up with new ideas. We\u2019ve proven that we can build great tools. We\u2019ve even proven that we can make them all plug into each other and work together.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s the story that wins the hearts of buyers by capturing their pain and putting them at the center of their own hero\u2019s journey that will make the difference between who wins and who loses.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Insurance company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemonade.com\/fr\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lemonade<\/a> does this brilliantly.<\/p>\n<p>Buying insurance is painful for most people. It\u2019s complicated, it\u2019s demanding, and for many, it\u2019s unavoidable. Lemonade identified those pain points and then turned the quotes and claims process on its head.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Image source<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Lemonade rarely mentions its product on Instagram. Instead, the brand commissions and shares art depicting images related to the types of insurance it sells (cars, homes, pets, etc.).<\/p>\n<p>They also donate unused premiums to customer-chosen nonprofits through their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lemonade.com\/fr\/en\/giveback\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Giveback scheme<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Despite targeting its young user base with content that has little to do with insurance, Lemonade has grown to a base of 1 million users and posted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sec.gov\/ix?doc=\/Archives\/edgar\/data\/1691421\/000169142121000024\/lmda-20201231.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$94 million in revenue in 2020<\/a> in six years.<\/p>\n<p>Lemonade sidesteps the pain of buying and claiming insurance and makes it an even more enjoyable experience by offering charitable donations and attractive, scroll-stopping visual content.<\/p>\n<p>Use the following design-thinking process to craft stories for your brand while keeping your customers\u2019 pain points and values in mind:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Empathize<\/strong> (What is your audience feeling?);<\/li>\n<li><strong>Define<\/strong> (What is your story mission? Who are your characters? And, what is the plot?);<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ideate<\/strong> (How can you give your story more depth with intersectionality?);<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prototype<\/strong> (Which of my ideas are viable? How will the audience react to this story?);<\/li>\n<li><strong>Test<\/strong> (Did my story meet the success indicators?).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>They can be powerful, emotive stories, like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4XpF04nximI&amp;t=20s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Greenpeace\u2019s homeless polar bear in London <\/a>video that formed part of their \u201cSave the Arctic\u201d campaign.<\/p>\n<p>The creators employed a \u201cwhat if\u201d framework to unsettle viewers and tap into the warning of complacency. By putting the main character (the polar bear) in a modern London setting, it seems as if this future is closer than you think.<\/p>\n<p>The creative team behind this video used intersectionality principles to adapt the polar bear\u2019s experience to a story that many city-dwellers are familiar with: homelessness.<\/p>\n<p>Storytelling doesn\u2019t always have to be emotional. They can also be relatable stories, like Zendesk\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">funny Instagram posts<\/a> about working in customer service (often remotely).<\/p>\n<p>Zendesk are so committed to their storytelling movement that they spun a narrative about a grunge band called \u201cZendesk Alternative.\u201d In a nod to <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/branded-search\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">search terms<\/a> driving customers away from their business, they called out competitors while making potential customers laugh.<\/p>\n<p>They even gave <a href=\"http:\/\/zendeskalternative.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Zendesk Alternative their own website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Use storytelling to connect with your audience. Whether that\u2019s through humor, inspiration, or a tug on the heartstrings will depend on your audience research.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-combine-product-marketing-and-brand-marketing-to-build-your-company-s-moat\">Combine product marketing and brand marketing to build your company\u2019s moat<\/h2>\n<p>Some people believe product marketing is led by the head and brand marketing is led by the heart. There\u2019s elements of truth to this, but there\u2019s more overlap than most people realize.<\/p>\n<p>To become and remain competitive, you need both brand marketing and product marketing at each stage of your company\u2019s development.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In the early stages: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use product marketing to execute the GTM strategy. Product marketing will help with activities like market research, competitor analysis, and determining actual product benefits relative to your market.<\/li>\n<li>Use brand marketing for awareness. At this stage you\u2019re still building your audience. Introduce people to who you are and what you stand for. Don\u2019t be afraid to run campaigns that don\u2019t center around the product, and stay fiercely loyal to your brand identity for consistency across touchpoints.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>In expansion and growth stages:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use product marketing research to refine messaging and positioning. Markets have probably changed since you first opened. You might know your target customer better or they might have changed completely (just look at what happened in 2020). Optimize your market segments, sales strategies, and pricing based on your new insights. Understand the barriers to overcome and what problems you can solve for your audience at this stage.<\/li>\n<li>Use brand marketing to focus on emotional connection with customers who already know your brand. Now that you\u2019ve built a sizable audience, you can begin reinforcing those relationships and encouraging them to share your brand with others. Consider <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/blog\/affiliate-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">affiliate and influencer marketing<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>For mature companies:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use product marketing to focus even more on optimization, or on responses to market disruption. Mature companies are often working across many channels with various campaigns, and the risk is that they lose touch with their target audience in the process. Product marketing\u2019s job at this stage is to keep everything tied back to the customer when things feel like they\u2019re moving in several directions.<\/li>\n<li>Use brand marketing to ensure your brand identity is relevant in the current market. Your identity and brand values may be dusty if you\u2019ve been in business for some time. But, consider what equity you hold before executing a rebrand. Don\u2019t give up on your heritage, but focus most of your marketing efforts on embracing the struggles of today.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"h-conclusion\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Though product marketing has been around longer than brand marketing, it\u2019s no grandpa. It\u2019s still as relevant today as ever. Brand marketing is also critical to building a lasting, memory-building reputation.<\/p>\n<p>To master the strategies, skills, and mindset you need to advance your product, take <a href=\"https:\/\/cxl.com\/institute\/programs\/product-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CXL\u2019s Product Marketing Minidegree<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Source: Business 2 Community<\/p>\n<p id=\"kc_opp\"><small>Republished by  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.blogtrafficexchange.com\/\">Blog Post Promoter<\/a><\/small><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 2018, after two short years and $3 million raised in startup funds, recruitment AI company Ansaro shut down due to bad market &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91975,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[113],"class_list":["post-91974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-head-start","tag-business"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/bellroy-product-marketing-slim-your-wallet-screenshot.jpg?fit=975%2C550&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3k0YU-nVs","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":92541,"url":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/04\/how-to-capture-marketing-opportunities-with-a-rock-solid-content-plan.html","url_meta":{"origin":91974,"position":0},"title":"How to capture marketing opportunities with a rock-solid content plan","author":"admin","date":"April 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"As the world becomes increasingly connected and more brands pivot toward digital marketing, standing out in your niche is vital. Cutting through the noise and sparking your customers\u2019 interests means you\u2019ll need to capture marketing opportunities across every channel or touchpoint. You must deliver consistent value across all of your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;E-business &amp; E-marketing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"E-business &amp; E-marketing","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/category\/ebusiness-emarketing"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91976,"url":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/04\/how-to-build-and-measure-brand-awareness.html","url_meta":{"origin":91974,"position":1},"title":"How to Build and Measure Brand Awareness","author":"admin","date":"April 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Studies show only 5% of B2B buyers are ready to buy right now. You can\u2019t force the other 95% into a buying position by spamming them with nurture sequences. 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Simple: small business creators get more customers with YouTube! Why is video\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;E-business &amp; E-marketing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"E-business &amp; E-marketing","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/category\/ebusiness-emarketing"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92453,"url":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/05\/how-to-use-social-media-to-educate-your-customers-on-new-fintech-features.html","url_meta":{"origin":91974,"position":3},"title":"How to Use Social Media to Educate Your Customers on New FinTech Features","author":"admin","date":"May 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In a world where more than half of the global population is marketing has long passed the \u2018can have\u2019 stage, evolving into a \u2018must have\u2019 for businesses. 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As we approach the second half\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;E-business &amp; E-marketing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"E-business &amp; E-marketing","link":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/category\/ebusiness-emarketing"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":93012,"url":"https:\/\/www.bricktowntom.com\/blog\/04\/how-cloud-computing-brands-can-best-leverage-blog-content.html","url_meta":{"origin":91974,"position":5},"title":"How Cloud Computing Brands Can Best Leverage Blog Content","author":"admin","date":"April 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 How Cloud Computing Brands Can Best Leverage Blog Content \u00a0 Cloud computing is a space that prioritizes fast innovation, the improved flexibility of resources, and economies of scale by delivering a wide range of computing services. 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