 | |
|
Company, Brand, Product.
What's the Difference?
Company
The company is the legal entity, the organization that owns operations, assets, liabilities, employees, intellectual property, and so forth. It is the business itself.The company’s role in marketing is to build trust and credibility at an organizational level (think corporate reputation, employer brand, investor relations).
Especially important in B2B (business-to-business) markets or when selling a portfolio of products.
Example: Procter & Gamble is a company that owns many different brands.
Example: Procter & Gamble is a company that owns many different brands.
Brand
A brand is the identity and perception.It is how the company or product is emotionally and cognitively positioned in the minds of consumers.
It includes logos, messaging, reputation, associations, and the promise it makes to customers.
The brand serves to create recognition, loyalty, and differentiation.
The brand serves to create recognition, loyalty, and differentiation.
Strong branding makes it easier for products to be trusted and chosen.
Example: Tide is a brand owned by Procter & Gamble.
Example: Tide is a brand owned by Procter & Gamble.
Product
A product is the good or service sold to meet a specific customer need.It’s the tangible or intangible item that generates revenue.
The product is the direct object of marketing promotions.
The product is the direct object of marketing promotions.
It’s what’s priced, placed, and promoted through marketing campaigns, often under the umbrella of the brand.
Example: Tide Pods are a specific product under the Tide brand.
Brands make products more desirable before any product details even enter the consumer's mind.
Products get immediate tactical focus, leveraging the underlying influence of trust and desire from the brand.
The company itself is typically not the focus of marketing, with some major exceptions. Marketing related to investors and shareholders, is one exception.
Example: Tide Pods are a specific product under the Tide brand.
Marketing: Who Gets Priority?
When marketing to consumers (B2C), the brand often carries the most strategic weight.Brands make products more desirable before any product details even enter the consumer's mind.
Products get immediate tactical focus, leveraging the underlying influence of trust and desire from the brand.
The company itself is typically not the focus of marketing, with some major exceptions. Marketing related to investors and shareholders, is one exception.
Another exception is when a company like Apple or Sony, who's name is also the brand name, markets itself to consumers without a product or service, such as the sponsorship of an arena.
Consumers often don’t care who owns the brand, as long as the brand resonates with them.
Consumers do care which brand has made a product, however.
In consumer marketing, the brand is prioritized most for emotional engagement, product for transactional conversion, and the company involved can play a background or credibility role if any at all.
In consumer marketing, the brand is prioritized most for emotional engagement, product for transactional conversion, and the company involved can play a background or credibility role if any at all.