Brandformance: an hardsell that builds your brand
You need to sell more, but your budget is the same as last year. So, you cut your brand campaign and put everything into activations and performance marketing. But this solution has a limit. And you know it. Let’s see if there’s another way.
The ideal vs. the current world of marketing managers
In an ideal marketing world, a client invests in brand campaigns as well as activation ones. The former are the engine of long-term growth, building awareness and brand recall in buying situations. The latter bring consistent revenue in the short term by leveraging the memory traces already created. We know this works, thanks to Binet, Field, and Sharp.
But I get the feeling that this year isn't ideal for many Czech marketers. We hear more often: "We need to sell more, but our budget is the same. We have to cancel the big brand campaign and just deal with it. We're putting everything into the basics, into activations, into performance marketing." Then there’s a moment of silence, followed by a "but..." Even activation and performance ads aren't delivering the results they used to. And certainly not at the prices that were once standard.
The typical agency approach is, of course, to try to explain to the company that cutting brand investment isn't a good idea. And that we have plenty of evidence and data to support the return on these investments, even if it takes longer to materialize. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
But there is a way to keep the brand alive, even with the same budget.
We call it brandformance. It’s not a new term, but now is the perfect time for it again. Brandformance ads don't choose between brand and sales; they do both at once. These ads take a sales-driven, often hard-sell message and present it in a highly original and creative way.
Brandformance ads aren't ashamed of the offer, the discount, or the rational appeal. The product often plays a prominent role. However, the agency's creative energy goes into finding a form that makes people want to watch, share, and remember the ad, while simultaneously driving short-term sales.
The primary optimization for brandformance ads is sales. So, they can be comfortably funded from a performance budget.
A few examples of brandformance ads
Beyond the principles mentioned above, brandformance ads also emphasize production efficiency and simplicity. It’s often one output = one very clever video, one set of smart digital ads, one piece of UGC, audio, or OOH. One of my absolute favorite ads is undoubtedly Etna - The Beatbox Catalogue.
This campaign best captures all the principles of brandformance ads. You might also remember the Coinbase QR code at the Super Bowl. This work with demotivational pricing in shopping centers in Peru. The clever IKEA campaign during the World Cup . Or this creative use of OOH in Korea.
Want to give brandformance a try? Get in touch
At the beginning of November 2026, we will be hosting a YYY talks lecture on brandformance advertising at our YYY agency. If you would like to attend, send us a message. We will keep you in mind and send you an invitation. If you are reading this article later, feel free to reach out anyway. We would be happy to discuss whether this is the right form of advertising for you. And if it turns out it is, we will help you create a brandformance ad for your brand and its specific challenge.
