add value before you advertise For many years the words ‘marketing’ and ‘advertising’ have been seen as virtually interchangeable. This reflects a very narrow view of marketing and highlights the aggressive salesmanship of advertising agencies. This is the fourth of five thoughts addressing the tools other than advertising, or communication, that marketers can and should […]

add value before you advertise For many years the words ‘marketing’ and ‘advertising’ have been seen as virtually interchangeable. This reflects a very narrow view of marketing and highlights the aggressive salesmanship of advertising agencies. This is the fourth of five thoughts addressing the tools other than advertising, or communication, that marketers can and should prioritise. In a recent US study 77% of marketing executives agreed that branding is critical to growth in the B2B context. The fact is, as has been confirmed by many studies, branding is important in all contexts. So, what is so important about branding? More than anything, a brand adds value to a product. In more extreme cases, branding adds value to a commodity.  Branding differentiates a product, and most certainly differentiates commodities. In so doing, it adds value and encourages, not just purchase, but purchase at a higher price. Milk is a commodity until…