We live in a state of constant concern about our finite resources, especially those considered vital, such as water and food. Interestingly, though, creative resources, too, are finite.
Mathematically, it makes sense to imagine that we have a specific number of words in a given language and that these words together will have a number of possible combinations. The same applies to music, where notes and scales are limited.
So I wonder: will we ever reach the last one of the many possible word combinations to form sentences or the last possible note and scale combinations to compose a melody? Are we capable of such a perception? How can we determine if something is truly new?
For experts, this is one of the great challenges of marketing. How can we continue to amaze people with our creations and make a new brand stand out after everything humanity has gone through, after all the stories we have heard?
In his book Sapiens, Yuval Harari demonstrates that our ability for believing, for faith was what enabled mankind’s evolution. Only by having this “common belief” can humans cooperate effectively. The book also notes that the same principle applies to how companies and brands operate.
Brands don’t physically exist. They are created from ideas and perform based on our perceptions of them.
At the beginning of the digital marketing era, making a brand perform seemed as quick and simple as setting up a few auction bids and reaching the as many people as possible.
But given today’s intricate and evolving technologies, we’ve come to understand that merely configuring these settings doesn’t produce genuine results.
The term brandformance refers to a combination of brand recognition and performance strategies. It merges two well-known strategies: branding and performance. While branding creates the story and connects people to the brand, performance focuses on metrics and conversions.
Beyond introducing a new marketing term, I want to emphasize how crucial it is for marketers to focus on the strength of the brand, and promote actions that build consumer belief, which means more than just “being creative”.
We need to unite creativity and data to find a balance that appeals to customers.
Digital is another communication channel that provides us with more accurate real-time indicators. However, numbers alone don’t have an impact. What truly brings results, regardless of the channel, is how much your consumers believe in your brand.
Therefore, mapping creativity’s finiteness based on numbers is a performance practice, but perceiving this finiteness is a matter of belief.
This means that companies can use brandformance strategies to map their numbers and better understand their resources, promoting actions that make sense. At the same time, they must work on the perception of value and brand through creative storytelling that generates connection and belief.
Cristini Cordesco is the Associate Digital Marketing Manager at Ideatore Americas.
