What Is Branding, Really? It’s More Than You Think

Chantelle.F
Jan 19
3 min read

Let’s clear this up: Branding isn’t just a logo. Or a moodboard. Or a colour palette.

Those are brand assets — not your brand.

Branding is how your business is understood, trusted, and remembered. It’s not just what you look like. It’s what you mean to the people you’re trying to reach.

And when done well, branding makes every part of your business from content to campaigns to pricing work harder and feel more aligned.

Here’s what branding actually is (and why it shapes everything).

1. Branding Isn’t a “Nice to Have.” It’s How You Decide.

Most people treat branding as something you do after you’ve built the business. In reality, branding helps you build the business the right way from the start.

It helps you filter what fits and what doesn’t:

Is this offer aligned with who we’re for?
Does this post sound like us?
Would our audience get this reference?
Does this new idea feel like it belongs in our world?

It gives you direction at any point of your business journey.

2. The Real Anatomy of a Brand

Layer	What It Defines	Most People Skip This
Brand Strategy	Purpose, position, audience, tone, values	✅ Yes — because it's not “visual”
Brand Identity	Logo, typography, colour palette, art direction	Often trend-based instead of strategy-based
Brand Experience	How you show up across your website, packaging, socials, campaigns, etc.	Gets built reactively, not systematically

3. Cons Of Not Defining Your Own Brand, Others Will

In the absence of clarity, people fill in the gaps and the results aren’t always flattering.

You look generic
Your product feels inconsistent
Your audience doesn’t “get” what you do
Your content feels scattered
Your team interprets things differently

And that leads to messy execution, shallow engagement, and the feeling of constantly “rebuilding” your brand.

So, if you don't want people to have assumptions, you must have the narrative for your brand.

4. Branding Isn’t Just External — It Shapes Culture Too

We often talk about branding in terms of how a customer sees you.

But internally? It matters just as much.

It helps your team understand the mission and can clearly explain what the business/brand is all about, you'll be surprised the amount of people that can't explain what the business they're working for is about other than the industry.
It creates pride and a sense of shared purpose
It attracts better-fit hires (especially younger talent who align with values)
It keeps decision-making consistent across departments

If you have a team, ask them. If your internal culture feels fractured or confused — chances are your branding isn’t doing enough.

5. How Branding Drives Sales, Not Just Style

Let’s be honest — some people still think branding is just about “looking polished.”

But good branding does more than that:

It builds trust (and 81% of consumers say trust influences purchase decisions)
It improves conversion (recognisable brands perform better on every platform)
It supports premium pricing (customers pay more when branding signals quality)
It creates loyalty (people stick around when they feel connected)
It fuels word-of-mouth (strong brands get shared)
More people will feel that your price is justified.

A cohesive brand gives you a strategic edge — in your category, your pricing, your growth. Two examples of different brands with different branding purposes.

COCOlab (niche / premium branding)

Branding is used to:
- Justify higher price per unit
- Create emotional value (giftable, aesthetic, experience)
- Appeal to a specific demographic
Visuals, storytelling, packaging = part of the product value
You’re paying for:
- Unique taste + ingredients
- Brand world
- Feeling of “this is special”

Oral-B (mass-market branding)

Branding is used to:
- Build trust at scale
- Signal functionality and credibility
- Reduce purchase friction
Heavily science-led, clinical, consistency-driven
You’re paying for:
- R&D
- Distribution
- Familiarity