From Efficiency to Effectiveness: The shift in brand building in the digital era

I started my career in advertising when the number of digital users in India was just 28 million. This was back in 2010. Without formal training in advertising or marketing, I devoted a considerable amount of time to consuming advertising content and case studies, absorbing every piece of advice from my seniors, and experimenting with every available tool (free or otherwise). Consequently, most of my learning followed a digital-first approach, then media-first, and finally creative or brand-focused. For a significant part of the last 15 years, I was a strong advocate for product- and tactic-first communication, often dismissing brand communication.

Today, as I reflect on how advertising and branding will evolve in the coming years, I am convinced that building a brand is the only true moat businesses have against the vast competition. A strong brand provides a premium edge, attracts new customers, and helps navigate crises of any scale. But does this mean that amazing communication and matching content (video, static, etc.) alone will build a brand? If only it were that simple.

Building a brand takes time, effort, and money.

Time, because the message requires longevity. A single campaign is not enough to build recognition and recall when consumers are exposed to over 1,000 ads daily.

Effort, because communication must be crafted to stand out. Less frequent, clutter-breaking communication over a longer period is far more effective than a constant flood of mediocre, everyday content.

Money, because visibility is crucial. The more people see the message—across various mediums and multiple times—the more it stays relevant.

Too often, with the advent of digital, we’ve focused on making media targeting sharper and sharper. While this improves efficiency, we often overlook effectiveness. In a developing country like India, every brand purchase is a reflection of one’s aspirations and status, whether it’s a ₹1 lakh car or a ₹1 crore car, a ₹50 pizza, or a ₹500 pizza. "Neighbours Envy, Owner’s Pride" was a brilliant campaign by Onida, but this sentiment applies to every brand across categories. When we narrow brand communication to one-to-one, it can sadly turn into "Owner’s pride, that the neighbor never heard about."

An astute marketer’s success lies in understanding and defining the brand's target group (TG). The Brand TG is not just those who will buy today but also those who will buy tomorrow and aspire to own the brand. If we only speak to our core customers and maximize that cohort, we’ll eventually face the enormous task of introducing the brand and building relationships with a completely new audience—creating a vicious cycle.

Imagine this scenario: Two companies, A and B, both operate in the same category, with A being 40% more premium than B. Both target John Doe as their core consumer. However, A speaks only to John Doe, while B engages John Doe, his friends, family, and extended circle. In this situation, "Neighbours Envy, Owner’s Pride" will apply only to brand B, even though brand A fits the premium bill. As marketers, we must first develop effective strategies and then layer efficiency on top—not the other way around.

In conclusion, build your sales with efficiency, but to build a brand, focus on effectiveness.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com.