Excerpt from the Marketing Mix Interview with Bill Wallsgrove

There’s a misconception that branding is just part of the Marketing Mix. It’s not. Branding comes first.

Think about where the term “branding” comes from. It originates from Old Norse, where cattle were marked with a hot iron to signify ownership.

To understand the difference, we can look at 19th-century America.

Picture the vast plains of the American Midwest. Ranchers owned huge herds of cattle, but so did their neighbours. When it was time to take the cattle to market, they needed a way to prove which ones were theirs, so they burned a symbol into the hide of each animal. That mark, that brand, was their signature. It was a guarantee of ownership and quality.

So, in order:

1. Branding is how you define identity, reputation, and promise. It’s how customers recognised the cows and trusted their provenance.
2. Marketing is how the cows were taken to the market; how their value was communicated and how customers were attracted.
3. Advertising is just one of the tactics within marketing. It’s the equivalent of a 19th-century rancher shouting in the marketplace: “Come to pen 47! These are my cows, and they’re the best!”

Now, let’s take that into a modern context:

1. You have a business idea (like raising cattle).
2. You brand it. You give it a name, identity, values, and story (so people recognise it).
3. Then, you market it, telling people why it’s great and why they should buy it.

Branding is about defining who you are before you even think about marketing. Marketing is how you take it to the world.

People often forget that. They rush into marketing activities like social media, ads, and promotions, without ever stopping to define what their brand actually stands for.

A well-built brand makes marketing easier. If your branding is strong, people already know who you are and what you represent, so when they see an ad, they already feel connected to you.

That’s why I always say: Branding isn’t part of marketing – marketing is part of branding.

Q. How far does branding go? Is it just the name, logo, colours, and imagery?

Absolutely not. Branding goes much deeper than just a logo or colours.

A strong brand starts with three fundamental questions:

1. Why do you exist? (What’s your purpose?)
2. How do you do things differently? (What makes you unique?)
3. Who do you serve? (Who is your audience, and why should they care?)

Once those questions are answered, the visual identity (logo, typography, colour scheme) and brand voice (tone, language, messaging) follow.

But branding extends into everything—how you talk to customers, how your product is packaged, even how you handle complaints.

Take Jeff Bezos’s definition: “Branding is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”

That’s why brand consistency is so important. Every touchpoint—your website, social media, customer service, packaging—should reinforce the same message.

Branding isn’t just about looking good. It’s about creating an emotional connection with your audience. It’s the reason some brands have die-hard fans while others struggle to be remembered.

Also read…

Bill Wallsgrove’s favourite campaigns

Bill Wallsgrove on AI

You can contact Bill Wallsgrove via LinkedIn

For more about Bill’s branding services go to Brandad