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What really makes a brand stand out and last?  

In their new book, A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Brand Management, Michael Beverland, Professor of Brand Strategy, and Pinar Cankurtaran, Associate Professor of Marketing, from the University of Sussex Business School, unpack the realities of modern branding beyond the buzzwords and the vast branding literature. 

In this Q&A, they explore key ideas shaping the branding field today: the need to balance creativity with evidence-based decision-making; the growing tension between consistency and constant content creation; and the evolving relationship between brands, influencers, and social purpose.  

If you had to explain what branding is to someone who’s never thought about it before, what would you say? 

What people say about you when you’re not there. 

In the book, you describe branding as a mix of art and science. Where do you see the balance between creativity and evidence-based decision-making? 

A balance suggests it’s 50:50, but the two are intertwined. Michael judges the marketing effectiveness awards, or Effies, each year, and their framework helps show the synergy between creativity and evidence. 

An Effie case includes an assessment of the brand’s challenge, data, key insights, creative work, results, and reflections. The judging panel brings diverse marketing roles, and interestingly, planners value creativity most, while creatives are tougher on the results and insights driving it. You need both, but not everyone can do both well enough to stand out. 

One thing we have started to do in our branding module is bring back some focus on creative decision-making and practice because most marketers, while not being creatives, need to appreciate the value of it.  

AI is useful here because you can quickly generate outcomes, such as video ads, and get students to reflect on the logic behind their prompts. It would be great if marketing programmes had more data analysis modules that deal with both qualitative and quantitative data. Still, we’d also like to see students required to do modules in creative writing, design, media, acting and so on, to build greater understanding and appreciation of these crafts. 

What are the biggest challenges in brand management today, and which do you think students will face most directly in their careers? 

A lack of understanding in organisations about what branding is. Marketers forget brands are built from the inside out. Without understanding, engagement, and senior leadership discipline, brands can quickly get diluted and suffer. 

Maintaining consistency over time while also producing content daily. The consistency-relevance challenge has always been there, but the need for regularly engaging content on social media has increased the tension. It’s easy to get a response on socials, so it’s tempting to put that ahead of long-term brand building. Finding the balance is difficult. 

Dealing with noise. There’s so much noise around brands, with various groups pointing out ethical flaws, fake news stories, regurgitated controversies from years back, rumours, and demands. Cutting through all of this and remaining relevant to your consumers requires discipline.  

Avoiding fads, particularly technological ones. Marketing is highly susceptible to spending on the next big tech idea, often without a clear understanding of the benefits it can bring. They may argue you need to place bets just in case something comes off, but for the most part, first-mover advantages are overrated.  

And finally, the potential for convergence around mediocre creative generated through AI. Being distinctive will be critical, but producing work that stands out and engages will be more challenging than ever. 

In the social media era, we often talk about “personal brands.” How do you see the rise of influencers and individual branding changing the relationship between people and brands? 

Brands use influencers because of their perceived authenticity, which is actually far more managed than people may think, especially when the value of that influencer is a function of platform algorithms that themselves are driven by a preference for extreme content. Influencers in this sense provide an extra set of associations for the brand, often driven by their persona, style or lifestyle. If the consumer’s relationship is influencer first, brand second, then the relationship may be a win.  

But as we’ve seen, it can backfire spectacularly in periods of heightened political partisanship, as with the case of the Bud Light boycott that was driven by a reaction against transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. In relation to personal brands, consumers tend to relate to them much as they do to other brands.  

Which elements shape a brand value? Today, many brands are partnering with influencers to strengthen their value. How does this affect the way brands are managed and perceived? 

Ultimately, brands gain value because they are meaningful to consumers and deliver on their promises in ways that are desired.  

Standing for something that is really valued is critical, more so than some contrived difference. Then it’sessentially a question of execution and investment: does the entire marketing programme reinforce the brand’s desired identity, and are you spending at least on par with your competitors in the various internal and external aspects of branding?  

Influencers can form one part of that tactical mix. Still, it’s important not to overplay this – it’s been noted that those within the creative sector often project their values onto the rest of the market. Still, consumers are generally less aware of many influences and less engaged on social media than advertisers and marketing experts believe.  

As the Bud Light example illustrates, partnering with influencers requires a strategic approach and fair, effective relationship management. So the principle is the same – treat the brand as an asset to be managed and use the right tools in the right mix to achieve your goals. 

How do you see branding connecting with broader issues like sustainability, inclusivity, or social responsibility? 

We think what is called the brand purpose era is done, and largely that’s a good thing. Ethics is an area fraught with dangers for brands. Research has shown that most consumers are often unaware of the brand’s social purpose or causes, and responses to brand-driven social programmes are often complex and can backfire. It’s also easy to forget that brands can also undermine causes, particularly when the relationship is not sincere (which means it should require a brand to give up something or come with some cost). Research also demonstrates that so-called ethical brands must deliver on everything else first to appeal to consumers.  

Engineering aspects of sustainability and social responsibility (however defined) are essential for the operations of the brand, but it’s also important to accept this may mean being open to brands that take ethical stances that fall outside the liberal norms of much of the creative sector, media and universities. After all, a brand embracing a right-wing position is taking an ethical stand. Overall, we’d like to see branding returning to great creative, delivering for users, and shouting less loudly about their supposed virtue (while quietly doing good in other ways). 

If readers take away only one big idea about branding from your book, what do you hope it is? 

Although there are many takes on branding, one alone rarely represents the whole truth. 

Rapid-fire questions  

To wrap up our conversation, we asked Michael and Pinar a few rapid-fire questions about the brands they love. 

A brand you remember from your childhood? 

Michael: Buzzy Bee by Fisher Price (iconic New Zealand toy) 

Pınar: Lego Duplo 

First brand you fell in love with as a consumer? 

Michael: DrPepper 

Pınar: Lego Duplo 

A brand you wish you had thought of? 

Michael: Jellycat 

Pınar: Loop 

One word you’d ban from branding conversations? 

Michael: Purpose 

Pınar: Empowerment (and any variations of it). 

In the Marketing programmes offered by the University of Sussex Business School, students explore how creativity, strategy, and consumer insight come together to build strong, lasting brands.