--- title: Brand vs performance is a false choice description: Tension between brand and performance is more than an organizational problem. It's changing how marketing works, and the damage is starting to show up. image: https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/EP134_The-Practicalities-of-Combining-Brand-and-SalesBlog-image.png --- [![MA_Horizontal_RGB_4-19-19 copy](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MA_Horizontal_RGB_4-19-19%20copy.png?width=147&height=32&name=MA_Horizontal_RGB_4-19-19%20copy.png "MA_Horizontal_RGB_4-19-19 copy")](http://www.marketingarchitects.com/) - platforms - [strategy](https://www.marketingarchitects.com/platforms/strategy) - [media](https://www.marketingarchitects.com/platforms/media) - [creative](https://www.marketingarchitects.com/platforms/creative) - [conversion](https://www.marketingarchitects.com/platforms/conversion) - [analytics](https://www.marketingarchitects.com/platforms/analytics) - [blog](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog) [contact us](https://www.marketingarchitects.com/contact-us) - [client login](http://www.mymainsight.com) - [Business Strategy (96)](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/topic/business-strategy) - [Conversion Tech (10)](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/topic/conversion-tech) - [Creative Strategy (13)](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/topic/creative-strategy) - [Media Buying (34)](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/topic/media-buying) - [News (49)](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/topic/news) - [Newsletter (174)](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/topic/newsletter) - [TV Attribution (11)](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/topic/tv-attribution) - [Newsletter](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/topic/newsletter) [Read More →](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/v42-n3-brand-vs-performance-is-a-false-choice) ## [What Cannes 2026 means for your strategy.](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/what-cannes-2026-means-for-your-strategy) Our media team just got back from Cannes, and we asked them to help us separate the real signals from the award-show hype. This week, we're covering what's worth acting on, from AI's new rol... - [![](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/FaceBook.png)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/v42-n3-brand-vs-performance-is-a-false-choice&title=Brand%20vs%20performance%20is%20a%20false%20choice&picture=https://514871.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/514871/EP134_The-Practicalities-of-Combining-Brand-and-SalesBlog-image.png&description=Tension%20between%20brand%20and%20performance%20is%20more%20than%20an%20organizational%20problem.%20It's%20changing%20how%20marketing%20works,%20and%20the%20damage%20is%20starting%20to%20show%20up.) - [![](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/Twiiter.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?source=https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/v42-n3-brand-vs-performance-is-a-false-choice&text=Brand%20vs%20performance%20is%20a%20false%20choice&url=https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/v42-n3-brand-vs-performance-is-a-false-choice&via=markarch) - [![](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/LinkedIn.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/v42-n3-brand-vs-performance-is-a-false-choice&title=Brand%20vs%20performance%20is%20a%20false%20choice&summary=Tension%20between%20brand%20and%20performance%20is%20more%20than%20an%20organizational%20problem.%20It's%20changing%20how%20marketing%20works,%20and%20the%20damage%20is%20starting%20to%20show%20up.) - [![](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/email.png)](mailto:someone@example.com?Subject=Brand%20vs%20performance%20is%20a%20false%20choice&body=Tension%20between%20brand%20and%20performance%20is%20more%20than%20an%20organizational%20problem.%20It's%20changing%20how%20marketing%20works,%20and%20the%20damage%20is%20starting%20to%20show%20up.%20https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/v42-n3-brand-vs-performance-is-a-false-choice) [All Posts](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog) # Brand vs performance is a false choice - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) *This week, we’re challenging the assumption that brand and performance should remain separate. Turns out, this division might be sabotaging both efforts more than we realize.*     **Companies prioritizing performance over brand see their distinctiveness erode.          ** Harvard Business Review research shows this shift toward measurable tactics often comes at the expense of long-term growth. One executive put it bluntly: "We're great at performance marketing, but our brand sucks."    **Why the Brand-Performance Divide Hurts Everyone                      ** The tension between brand and performance is more than an organizational problem. It's fundamentally changing how marketing works, and the damage is starting to show up everywhere. 1. **Misaligned incentives create internal competition. **Brand teams optimize for awareness while performance teams chase conversions, leading to conflicting strategies that cancel each other out.  2. **Attribution models undervalue brand impact.** When you only measure last-click results, you miss how brand building makes every performance dollar work harder.  3. **Nike proves the risks of going too far toward performance. **Mark Ritson points to Nike as a cautionary tale. Their pivot toward performance marketing meant running on fumes from their past brand work until growth stalled.  4. **Measurement doesn't have to be either/or.** Track short-term incrementality alongside brand equity metrics tied to revenue modeling for a complete picture.  The fix isn't surface-level collaboration. It requires shared incentives, brand health measures tied to revenue, and one accountable owner for the entire plan.  [Listen in on our discussion.](https://www.marketingarchitects.com/Podcast/TheMarketingArchitects/Episode134)   **“How Brand Building and Performance Marketing Can Work Together”     ** This Harvard Business Review article explores how to tie both brand and performance efforts to a single metric for brand equity. The research shows that when companies pit these approaches against each other, both become less effective.  [Read the article](https://hbr.org/2023/05/how-brand-building-and-performance-marketing-can-work-together)[.](https://hbr.org/2023/05/how-brand-building-and-performance-marketing-can-work-together)   The truth about marketing's purpose.          "Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the brand image."  *— David Ogilvy*    *This newsletter comes from the hosts of **The Marketing Architects**, a research-first show answering your biggest marketing questions. Find us on [Apple Podcasts](https://c3gzG04.na1.hubspotlinks.com/Ctc/F9+113/c3gzG04/VVn8SY65QyhPVzXQJS3lXDjgW7qxXbD5cs6D0N1c6srn3qn9gW8wLKSR6lZ3pxW7JQJ215NfLB1N4Sg27PGxhBbW32PfTl46RPt4W3P_0cM6FcLCVW3mlC1Q2Plx0FVXyZ1-71xPRsW7HlgTd1-gbFHW6f2f2J3_nzbGW83Gk2L3CjDjSW97f-nl2Mvc0MW5jh1_813KWyXW3PjdK38jF_5_W3kTsfL81_mfWW93hP4V1YCyS6VtTL9f5zY0qqW1jmf9S8f8_VSW7_mM1p5_-ZrnW7qr0jm9kWKmhW7_M1Lq8Qby2SW8jWX0w9ghB3NW3zvc217c97ZkW3pGPyM4wZzX-W49SFK57snwpdW3zW6fm8mmXpsW2cdmtt6Ycv5rW3GX17Q5nhmxwVmPPsN33qRF6W6pHtqM50DxJxf20l3j404) or wherever you listen to podcasts!* ![The Marketing Architects Team](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/MALogo-Mobius-Blue-RGB-1.png) ###### The Marketing Architects Team Curated by our leaders, creatives, analysts, designers, media buyers and more at Marketing Architects. ### Stay in the loop - get our content delivered to your inbox ## Related Posts ## [The science behind why stories sell](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/v35-n2-the-science-behind-why-stories-sell) I've always been a sucker for a good story... we all are, actually. This week, we're exploring why our br... ## [How to build category entry points that drive sales](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/v34-n4-own-more-customer-moments) Think about the last time you grabbed a Coke. Was it because you were thirsty on a hot day? Watching a mo... ## [The uncomfortable truth about brand purpose](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/blog/v41-n4-the-uncomfortable-truth-about-brand-purpose) Brand purpose promised to transform business for good. Instead, it's produced vague campaigns and questio... 110 Cheshire Lane, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55305 952-449-2500 info@markarch.com © 2020 Marketing Architects ![Marketing Architects](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/azure-site/MA-stacked-Logo2X.png "Marketing Architects") [![email us](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/footer-ermail.png "email us")](mailto:info@markarch.com) [![Facebook](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/footer-facebook.png "Facebook")](https://www.facebook.com/MarketingArchitects/) [![LinkedIn](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/footer-linkedin.png "LinkedIn")](https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketingarchitects) [![Twitter](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/footer-twitter.png "Twitter")](https://twitter.com/markarch) [![Instagram](https://blog.marketingarchitects.com/hubfs/footer-instagram.png "Instagram")](https://www.instagram.com/marketing_architects/) ![Marketing Architects, Inc. BBB Business Review](https://seal-minnesota.bbb.org/seals/blue-seal-280-80-bbb-96126640.png) [privacy policy](https://www.marketingarchitects.com/privacy-policy) ![](https://dc.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=59672&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "contactPoint" : [ { "@type" : "ContactPoint", "contactType" : "customer service", "telephone" : "+1-952-449-2500" } ], "logo" : "https://www.marketingarchitects.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MA_Logo_0117_RGB-small.png", "url" : "https://www.marketingarchitects.com/" } ```