Brand strategy vs branding: what is the difference?

The two terms are used as if they mean the same thing. They do not, and mixing them up is one of the most common reasons a brand project disappoints.

Brand strategy is the thinking. It decides what the brand stands for, who it is for, how it is different and where it is going. It is a set of choices.

Branding is the expression. It is the name, the logo, the colours, the packaging, the words and the design systems that make those choices visible and consistent.

Strategy without branding stays a document. Branding without strategy is decoration.

What brand strategy includes

• Business direction. Where the business is going and the choices that get it there.
• Consumer insight. What people really do, want and value, found through research and observation.
• Positioning. The place you want to own in the customer's mind, and what separates you from competitors.
• A brand platform. Purpose, positioning and personality, written so that a whole team can use it.
• Naming. A name that fits the position and can be protected.

What branding includes

• Brand names, trademark availability searches and trademark applications.
• Logo design and the rules for using it.
• Brand style guides and communication hierarchies.
• Packaging, websites, social content and the other places the brand appears.

An example from our own work

For Homewares Group we created the respect brand for a made from recycled range. The strategy came from a single insight: consumers want to reduce plastic waste. That insight decided the name, the message on the pack and the look, and the range is now sold nationally at Bunnings.

The GRUNT brand worked the same way. We built it as an everyday hardware range for tradies, and it has become one of the biggest successes in Bunnings. In both cases the strategy came first and the design followed.

Which should you do first?

Strategy, almost always. A few guides:

• Launching something new: do both, in order. Decide the position, then create the name and identity.
• An existing brand that is not growing: start with strategy to find out why. The answer is often positioning, not the logo.
• A refresh: check that the strategy still holds before changing the look. If it does, a design refresh is enough.
• A new retailer or channel: test whether the brand platform works there, then adjust the packaging.

Signs you need strategy, not a new logo

• Your team describes the business differently depending on who you ask.
• You win on price but cannot say why customers should choose you otherwise.
• New products feel unrelated to each other.
• A new logo has been proposed as the fix for slow sales.

How we work

We start with the business and the customer, then move into the brand platform, then into naming and design. You can see the approach on our strategy and branding page. If you are not sure which you need, talk to us and we will tell you honestly.