“Sales activation is any kind of marketing activity which is intended to evoke a fairly immediate response from the consumer. For long term growth, you need something different, and that’s brand-building. Brand-building is any kind of marketing communications that are intended to produce long term changes in human behavior by creating long term memories.”

“Our research suggests that the optimum effectiveness tends to be achieved when about 60% of the budget is devoted to long term brand-building and about 40% to short term activation…  But our latest research shows that that rule, that balance, changes depending on category and context.”

“What we’re finding in the data is as the digital economy evolves, sales activation is becoming much more efficient. What that means is that activation, as it becomes more efficient, requires less budget. And so, almost counter-intuitively, the optimum split is shifting away from sales activation towards brand-building. To put it simply, in a digital world, emotional brand-building is more important than it’s ever been.”

“At the very top level, you have fame, campaigns that get people talking about the marketing, the advertising, and the brand. If you can get people talking in that way, you effectively turn the public into part of your sales force… So if you want really disproportionately large marketing effects, if you want big sales and big profits, aim for fame.”

– Les Binet, The Short of It, YouTube