‘Brand to demand’ is the future of marcomm

Brand often lost this tug of war as the urgency of the moment drove marketers to focus on short-term initiatives to fill the sales pipeline and generate revenue.

A recent movement espousing a brand AND demand approach is a step in the right direction, as marketers try to bring greater cohesion between the two disciplines by aligning on campaign timing and messages, for example, but even this approach does not go far enough.

However, more often than not, the art of brand identity and the science of demand optimization are still pursued sequentially, not collaboratively. This is further exacerbated by the ongoing management by different teams with different objectives, strategies and data sets.

What’s needed is a new approach built on a more direct and intentional relationship between brand and demand.

Enter brand TO demand, an emerging perspective anchored in the proposition that brand identity, positioning and awareness must have a direct impact on demand generation —simultaneously cultivating long-term brand affinity while accelerating near-term audience action.