Is Performance Marketing a lie?
- Sep 27, 2024
- 0
By Admin
Sep 27, 2024
In a world dominated by high-decibel marketing campaigns and celebrity endorsements, it’s easy to assume that building a strong brand identity requires massive advertising spends. However, many successful brands—especially startups and challenger brands—have proven otherwise. A brand isn’t built on budget alone; it’s built on clarity, consistency, and connection. At the core of this approach lie two crucial pillars: brand personality and brand positioning.
This blog explores how businesses can craft a compelling brand identity without burning millions, by focusing on defining who they are, why they exist, and how they consistently communicate it.
Brand identity is more than just a logo or a color palette. It includes:
Visual elements (logos, typography, packaging)
Brand voice and tone
Values and personality traits
Customer perception and emotional resonance
It’s the sum total of how a brand looks, sounds, behaves, and makes people feel.
Key takeaway: A clear brand identity helps customers recognize and remember you—even without expensive ad campaigns.
Advertising can amplify a brand, but it cannot define it. When the core of the brand is unclear, even a 100-crore media spend will feel hollow and forgettable. Many new-age brands like Figma, Muji, and Zomato have built strong identities through:
Focused content
Unique tone of voice
Consistent community engagement
Clear positioning and value delivery
These elements cost far less than billboards or TV ads.
Think of your brand as a person. Would it be playful or serious? Bold or humble? Warm or mysterious?
A defined brand personality helps people emotionally relate to your brand. It informs how you speak, what you post, how you design, and even how your customer support responds.
Choose 3–4 personality traits (e.g., witty, empathetic, progressive).
Build a tone of voice guide. How do you say hello? How do you apologize? How do you announce good news?
Reflect personality in visuals: fonts, icons, photos, UI.
Example: Zomato’s witty, self-aware tone on social media has built massive brand recall without large ad spends.
Positioning defines what space your brand occupies in the consumer’s mind relative to others. It’s about differentiation and relevance.
Instead of appealing to everyone, strong brands choose their lane and own it completely.
Category Context: What industry are you in? Food delivery? Designer furniture?
Target Audience: Be specific (e.g., “Design-savvy, urban professionals aged 28–40”).
Key Insight: What’s the gap or frustration in the market?
Value Proposition: What do you solve, and how is it different?
Emotional Hook: What should people feel when they engage with your brand?
Example: Muji positioned itself as “anti-brand”—no logos, minimal design. That clarity gave it a cult following.
You don’t need to be on TV. You need to be consistent. Focus your efforts on formats and platforms that reflect your brand personality and reach your core audience.
Instagram Reels with a signature visual language
Newsletters with a distinct voice
Packaging and unboxing experiences
Founder's personal branding (LinkedIn, Twitter)
In-store experiences (if retail)
Make templates for your brand voice, design elements, and social media tone so your team (or you) can replicate them easily.
Example: The D2C brand The Whole Truth used content-driven transparency and packaging storytelling to win trust—no TVCs needed.
You don’t have to be everywhere. You just need to show up the same way every time.
Keep your colors, fonts, and logo use consistent.
Don’t switch your tone of voice based on trends.
Make sure your packaging, website, and customer service sound like the same brand.
This builds mental availability—the ability for customers to remember you when they’re ready to buy.
Word-of-mouth is the oldest and most effective advertising. You can design for it.
Build brand moments worth sharing (quirky emails, personalized packaging).
Use UGC (user-generated content) strategies.
Reward community participation.
Showcase customer stories instead of ads.
Example: Notion’s growth was largely driven by users sharing custom templates and YouTube tutorials.
Your brand identity isn’t fixed—it should evolve as your audience, culture, and business evolve.
Use:
Polls and surveys to understand perception
A/B testing for visuals and messaging
Social listening tools for tone and vocabulary refinement
But evolve without losing your core personality. Drift too far, and you’ll lose the identity you worked to build.
Copying competitors: Just because it worked for them doesn’t mean it fits your brand.
Inconsistency: Random fonts, changing messages, and shifting tones confuse customers.
Trying to appeal to everyone: You’ll end up resonating with no one.
Brand identity isn’t built in ad studios. It’s built in every email, every package, every tweet, and every conversation. You don’t need crores—you need clarity.
Start with personality. Define your position. Show up consistently. The market will remember you—not because you were loud, but because you were clear.
