Product vs Brand: Only Two Types of Marketing 

Product vs Brand: The Only Two Types of Marketing

At Growth Experts, we’ve been analysing our “all-you-can-eat marketing” promise lately. It’s made us think hard about what we’re truly offering our clients. Are we clearly showing them how we deliver results, or are we just promising them an endless buffet without describing the dishes?

This led us down a fascinating path of examining how companies present themselves. 

After analysing hundreds of websites and campaigns, we’ve reached a simple but powerful conclusion: there are only two main types of marketing – Product-led and Brand marketing. 

Everything else is just tactics.

The Fascinating World of Brand Metrics

When we talk about brand marketing, there are two crucial measures to understand: brand value and brand strength. The latest Brand Finance South Africa 2024 report illustrates this perfectly through two banking giants.

Standard Bank has a higher brand value (R37.5 billion, up 27%) than FNB (R26.6 billion). Yet interestingly, FNB is rated as South Africa’s strongest brand, with a remarkable brand strength score of 92 out of 100.

What’s the difference? 

Brand value is essentially about financial muscle—it’s the monetary worth of the brand. Brand strength, however, measures emotional connection, trust, and customer loyalty. FNB has achieved this through its strategic shift from product-orientated toproduct-orientated to advisory-focused. They’ve excelled at “brand love”—creating deep emotional connections with their customers.

The Nando’s Success Story

The most compelling example of brand strength’s importance is Nando’s.

 In 2024, they burst into the rankings as South Africa’s fourth most valuable brand at R28.2 billion – an extraordinary achievement for a restaurant chain. Think about that: a company selling chicken has built a brand more valuable than many financial institutions.

How?

By focusing on brand strength long before they had massive brand value. Nando’s has always used humour and satire to market their has always used humour and satire to market their PERERi-PERERi chicken. If there’s a social or political faux pas, Nando’s is first on the scene, never missing an opportunity to ruffle a few feathers and insert itself into a national conversation. The company’s marketing strategy is the gold standard in cultivating . If there’s a social or political faux pas, Nando’s is first on the scene, never missing an opportunity to ruffle a few feathers and insert itself into a national conversation. The company’s marketing strategy is the gold standard in cultivating a unique brand voice, personality, and customer connection. Even through the challenges of COVID-19, this brand strength helped them bounce back to achieve record revenues in 2023.

Where Does This Leave Small and Mid-Sized Businesses?

These success stories are inspiring, but they’re playing in the big leagues with massive marketing budgets and decades of brand-building behind them. Where does this leave the rest of us?

Particularly in spaces like digital software solutions, professional services, or, in our case, marketing and growth development.

The good news is that brand strength can be built well before brand value grows. You don’t need Nando’s marketing budget to start creating emotional connections with your customers. You need a clear strategy about which approach to take: product-led or brand marketing.

Let’s look at how some successful mid-sized companies are approaching this:

Take Arc browser. They’re not trying to make you feel witty or cool. Instead, they show you exactly what their product does through detailed YouTube updates and feature announcements.

Every tweet relates to a product. It’s clear, measurable, and directly tied to sales.

Basecamp follows a similar approach. Their website breaks down every feature of their project management tool in detail. (Though interestingly, they’ve recently added a side of brand marketing with their “Just Let Me Do My Job” campaign – proof that as companies grow, they can evolve from one approach to the other.)

Why This Matters for Your Business

Harvard Business Review says brand-led companies enjoy 23% higher customer lifetime values. But they also face higher initial customer acquisition costs. This presents a crucial strategic choice for growing businesses.

For most small to medium-sized businesses, product-led marketing offers the best starting point:

• Easier to execute and measure
• Shorter sales cycle
• Lower marketing costs
• Clear metrics for success
• Direct connection between marketing and revenue

However, as both FNB and Nando’s prove, the real magic happens when you can build brand strength alongside your product marketing. There’s nothing permanent in this approach –you evolve as you grow. 

Our Own Marketing Evolution

This analysis led us to an uncomfortable truth about our own marketing. We’ve been promoting “all-you-can-eat marketing” without showing enough of how we actually deliver results. Our website features plenty of problem statements:

• “Tired of feeling like your marketing isn’t generating any leads?”
• “Is writing the perfect copy for your business a struggle?”
• “Are you frustrated with the lack of enquiries from your website?”

But we haven’t been showing you enough of our actual solutions – focusing on brand promises without enough product evidence.

Choosing Your Approach

The key is matching your marketing approach to your business stage and resources.

Start with Product-Led When:

• You’re a new or small business
• Your product has clear, demonstrable benefits
• You need quick customer acquisition
• Your budget is limited
• You’re in a practical, solution-focused market

Add Brand Elements When:

• You have proven product-market fit
• Competitors easily match your product features
• You’re looking to build long-term loyalty
• You can invest in sustained campaigns
• You want to create emotional connections with customers

Building Brand Strength Without a Big Budget

You don’t need FNB’s resources or Nando’s global presence to start building brand strength. Here’s how:

1. Focus on customer experience first
2. Develop a consistent voice and personality
3. Tell authentic stories about your impact
4. Create emotional connections through excellent service
5. Build trust through transparency about your processes

What’s Next for Growth Experts

We’re taking our own medicine. Over the next few weeks, we’ll revamp our “all-you-can-eat marketing” approach to blend product and brand elements. You’ll see exactly how we help businesses grow and understand the values and expertise that make us unique.

Because whether you’re selling chicken, banking services, or marketing expertise, success comes from knowing when to show your product and when to build your brand.

Jason Bagley Founder, Growth Experts

I'm a business builder, the founder of Growth Experts, sometimes public speaker, and a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization. Mostly though, I’m just a dad to Eva & Cruz and a husband to Karina.