Similar to the sports world, brand marketing is a highly competitive arena. With new trends, channels, and the promise of virality, technological goal posts constantly shift for communications and marketing professionals. Setting your brand apart from the competition is essential for success.
Thanks to social media, the goals of brand marketers are within reach. Going viral on Twitter or TikTok allows brands to gain cultural relevance and increase awareness faster than ever before. Having a social presence is a top priority. Nearly one in two businesses consider social media their primary channel for external communication while 58% anticipate it becoming their primary channel in the future. About 62% of consumers agree brands and companies that don't have a strong social media presence won't succeed in the long run.
Using social media for brand marketing is essential for growth as more people prefer to find products and services online. One in three consumers use social media to learn about or discover new products, services or brands. Along with using social media to discover new products, 80% of consumers expect companies with a social media presence to interact with their customers in meaningful ways.
This is where strong brand marketing comes into play.
What is brand marketing?
Brand marketing is a subset of marketing focused on developing and maintaining a company’s overall reputation. Brand marketing involves a long-term strategy to boost and amplify a company’s recognition and image.
The goal of brand marketing is to increase brand awareness, recognition and trust to create a positive, lasting relationship with your target audience.
There’s a fine line between marketing and brand marketing: sales typically aren’t the root of brand marketing. The benefits of brand marketing aren’t always measurable, making it a long game. It can take time to acquire and retain customers.
Brand marketing is a skill that can help communications professionals make a bigger impact. According to a report by Kantar BrandZ, a stronger brand leads to more shareholder returns and large cash flow contributions. When you have a strong brand, your entire company benefits.
When customers resonate with your core values and understand what makes you different, they stay loyal.
Brand marketing highlights unique traits or attributes consumers think of when they envision a certain brand. It answers the question, “What sets us apart from our competitors?” If you want a loyal customer base, you must continuously communicate your brand’s identity and values.
Some common tactics in a brand marketing strategy include:
Creating brand engagement on social mediaRecruiting brand ambassadors or influencersCrafting a cohesive brand identity and image with logo, color palettes, packaging etc.Developing a loyal customer baseEssentially, brand marketing tells the story of a brand’s products or services through purposeful engagement. For example, Nike is one of the world’s well-known sports brands. The Nike check is synonymous with innovation, determination and perseverance. To showcase its brand, Nike frequently collaborates with athletes who symbolize those values.
Now that we’ve defined brand marketing, let’s review some of the best brand examples from the past five years.
6 companies that take brand marketing to the next level with social media
1. Liquid Death Mountain Water
Created by former Netflix creative director Mike Cessario, Liquid Death Mountain Water is a heavy metal-themed water brand. Dripping skulls adorn the tallboy aluminum can, giving the beverage the look and feel of drinking a beer. However, the can contains 100% non-carbonated water sourced from the Alps with an alkaline pH of 8.2.
Liquid Death Mountain Water describes itself as “a funny water company who hates corporate marketing as much as you do,” according to the company’s manifesto (i.e., the “about us” page on their website). This “manifesto” is one of many ways Liquid Death embraces excellent brand marketing. Along with getting people to drink more water and “kill plastic pollution,” Liquid Death is on an “evil mission to make people laugh,” and its tactics to do so are crystal clear.
@liquiddeathTime to crack open an ice-cold tallboy and rage with your underage buds! #liquiddeath
♬ Breaking The Law by Liquid Death ' Liquid Death
The most impactful brand marketing campaign on social media in the last 5 years has effortlessly fused authenticity, creativity and user engagement to create an unparalleled dialogue that not only elicits emotion but also fosters a deep connection with their target audience.
