While BIZPORT offers a full range of branding solutions for businesses and non-profit organizations, we are not a marketing firm.  That’s not our thing. Branding, however, is our thing.

The difference between marketing and branding can be confusing, as branding is a marketing technique.  However, it is important to understand the differences before embarking on your branding journey.


What is Marketing?

Marketing is an essential tool for the success of all business and nonprofit activity, but what exactly is it? The American Marketing Association defines marketing as the following: “Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”

In the simplest terms: marketing is the act of promotion; branding, while a subset of marketing, is what is being promoted. Therefore, branding comes before marketing, or at least it should.


What is Branding?

“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Jeff Bezos

 Branding differentiates and identifies organizations from their competition through the use of design, images, and slogans. Think logos like the Nike “swoosh” or McDonald’s “golden arches;” Slogans like Red Bull’s  “It Gives You Wiiiings!” or State Farm’s slogan/jingle, “Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There.” These are easily recognizable examples of solid branding.  But this didn’t happen overnight or without much thought.

Branding is often a difficult and complex undertaking. It is a journey that requires organizational introspection. Since it’s essentially “the face” of your organization, it’s important to get it right. That’s where companies like BIZPORT step-in.  A good branding company is in it for the long haul, helping organizations to develop voice and message, logos, taglines, and brand standards that are essential to increase brand awareness/equity through marketing.

Branding is not something you do once. It’s a multi-step, on-going process that moves beyond the brand creation phase. Once an organization creates their brand, they must work on building, maintaining, and growing their brand in order for their branding efforts to provide maximum return.