• by Michael McLaren , Op-Ed Contributor, January 14, 2021

After a brief but well-deserved winter hiatus brand marketers are hoping to see their brands with fresh eyes in the early days of 2021. Following months of scrambling to keep up with the latest and greatest digital trends dramatically shaping the marketing landscape, it appears that branding is top of mind for most as marketing practitioners go back to basics. 

This week, the top three most searched terms among marketers all centered around branding: “brand building strategy,” “brand equity,” and “brand protection.” This essential facet of the overall marketing mix is a main area of focus for marketers who have placed heightened emphasis on performance driven strategies and tactics in recent years. 

Due of their interconnectedness, B2Bs and B2Cs can more easily and effectively bridge the gap between their brand and demand efforts once your brand is in alignment with your business strategy. A foolproof brand-building strategy has the potential to weather any storm. This rang especially true in 2020 when nearly every brand was suddenly in the business of saving lives. 

It’s easy to understand why marketers are now reevaluating their past decisions to ensure that their actions, big or small, going forward do not run counter to their purpose and values. 

Intent data for “brand equity” and “brand protection” also rank highly this week as more channels for interaction open up new opportunities to build deeper and more meaningful connections with consumers. The ease with which companies can now communicate globally, drastically increases the number of competitors in many sectors. If brands fail to distinguish themselves, they will be seen as interchangeable, leaving price as the key discriminating factor.

For once we may be seeing a meeting of the minds after branding dominates the top search terms among agencies. Similar to their client-side counterparts, interest in “brand building strategy” ranks No. 1, followed by “brand equity,” “brand awareness,” “brand safety,” and finally, “brand management.” 

It’s abundantly clear that the role of a brand in developing a loyal and profitable customer base and providing a strong differentiation from competitors, has never been more important.

As business leaders take stock of the past year and inevitably come to realize that their continuity plans simply could not cover the scope of damage caused by the COVID-19 crisis, the criticality of building brand resilience in times of crisis has never been more apparent. 

Throughout nearly every company’s life there are bound to be “defining moments” when great brands emerge and define the perception they put forth. It’s in these fleeting moments when a brand should be holistically considering its role in customers’ lives pre- and post-purchase and beyond. Understanding where your brand stands from the get-go creates sense of security when unknown forces are at play.   

As the saying goes, hindsight is 20/20.