b2b brand | Performance branding: How to get quick wins and long term growth!

What is performance branding?

Performance Branding brings together two powerful elements:

• Performance Marketing: Tactical, measurable, and driven by data. It gets things moving fast and grabs the attention of your leadership team. But without the right balance, it can quickly drain your budget without providing lasting value.

• Brand Marketing: The emotional side. It builds recognition, trust, and long-term connection. It’s harder to measure in the short term, but done well, it creates lasting impact.

Both need to work together. When kept separate, neither does enough. But when combined, they give you the short-term wins and long-term success you need.

Why You Should Care About Performance Branding

1. Quick Wins + Lasting Value

McKinsey found that companies integrating performance and brand marketing see 4x higher ROI compared to those focusing on just one of them. Performance Branding lets you reach customers early and stay top of mind long after the campaign ends.

Example: HubSpot mixes inbound marketing (performance-driven) with brand-building content, which helps capture leads and nurture long-term loyalty. Their success shows the power of combining both strategies.

Brand Recognition Matters

According to Nielsen, 59% of B2B buyers make decisions based on brand recognition, even when they aren’t actively looking to buy. By combining performance and brand marketing, you keep your brand in front of those who are ready to buy while also staying top of mind for when they are.

Example: Salesforce does this brilliantly by combining targeted ads and retargeting to reach leads today while also building long-term brand presence through thought leadership and educational content. This blend ensures they’re the go-to CRM when buyers are ready.

3. Strong brand without performance = missed opportunity

HubSpot found that 61% of marketers say their biggest challenge is generating leads that convert into customers. Building brand recognition is crucial, but without the performance-focused strategies to drive action, it leads to awareness without results.

Example: Nike blends strong brand storytelling with performance-driven marketing campaigns. Their ads are optimized to convert, and their brand message consistently reflects their core values. This combination generates immediate sales while strengthening long-term brand loyalty.

4. Performance without brand = price wars

PwC’s global survey revealed that only 18% of customers are driven primarily by price, while 56% prefer to buy from brands they trust. Without a strong brand, performance marketing can easily turn into a race to the bottom on price.

Example: Apple blends performance marketing with a strong, premium brand story. Their highly optimized ads drive conversions while their brand presence allows them to maintain higher prices and focus on long-term loyalty.

5. Data + Creativity: The Winning Combo

A study by Harvard Business Review found that creative, data-driven campaigns can outperform traditional ones by up to 50% in terms of ROI. When you combine creativity with data-driven performance marketing, you capture attention and drive measurable actions.

Example: Coca-Cola’s "Share a Coke" campaign is a great example. By personalizing their products and combining creative storytelling with targeted ads, they saw a 2% sales increase and a 7% rise in consumption among younger consumers. This campaign delivered immediate results and strengthened brand loyalty.

The Bottom Line

The best-performing brands know the value of integrating performance marketing with brand-building creativity. According to McKinsey, brands that combine both see 4x more growth compared to those who keep them separate.

Example: Spotify is a perfect example of how to master this integration. Their data-driven approach to personalized ads helps convert listeners into customers, while their creative branding (like the viral “Spotify Wrapped” campaign) keeps their brand top of mind year after year.

By embracing Performance Branding, you can leverage both performance marketing and brand-building to drive immediate results and ensure long-term success. Companies like HubSpot, Salesforce, Nike, Apple, Coca-Cola, and Spotify show how this strategy works in practice.

Want to see how performance branding can work for your business?

Accountancy Age, Contentive’s go-to publication for senior finance professional, is one example of where performance and brand marketing collide. It’s been delivering trusted content since 1969 to over +62,000 subscribers, with 48% at the senior level. By combining performance marketing with brand authority, Accountancy Age is leading the way in engaging and educating senior decision-makers in the finance sector.

Ready to increase wins and bring long term growth your marketing strategy?

👉 Contentive - Download our media pack and discover how we help brands drive engagement and connect with senior decision-makers across multiple channels.

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