What is the difference between brand and branding?

Is there a difference between brand and branding, and does it matter?

I get asked this a lot — what’s the difference between brand and branding? Aren’t they the same thing?

They're lovers, partners in crime and a double act but they're not quite the same. And understanding the distinction is crucial if you want to connect with your audience in a way that actually sticks when it comes to your messaging, marketing and momentum.

What is Branding?: The First Impression

Your branding is how you frame your brand visually and verbally to the world. It’s the logo, the colours, the typography, and even the tone of voice. It's the aesthetic and stylistic elements that set the stage. Think of it as the handshake, the opening line, the shop window. That first glimpse that catches your eye and makes you stop and take notice. It could be a bold message, a colour combination or even a sound.

It’s your first impression, and it matters because it signals what kind of experience people might expect, luring the audience in to find out more and stick with it.

So branding is a big deal, but it’s not the whole deal.

What is Brand?: The Lasting Impression

Your brand, on the other hand, is what’s left behind once that short sharp branding interaction is over. It’s the emotional imprint, the gut feeling people have about you, how they perceive you compared to competitors and the other brands they interact with.

It’s built through everything you do, whether that's your service, your consistency, your ability to resonate with what your customers care about - literally any touchpoint or interaction from an in person sale to a ticketing query via WhatsApp as a customer service channel.

If branding is the wrapping, brand is the gift inside. Branding gets them to look, but your brand determines whether they stay, buy, and recommend.

Imagine that new chocolate bar at the checkout that you don't recognise having seen before but are instantly drawn into because of the packaging. You may buy it because of that, but you won't again unless the wider brand fits your needs - taste, price, ethics, values, even community. Hell, I buy Who Gives a Crap toilet paper for all of those reasons but was initially drawn in by their branding.

Download the brand vs branding checklist

If you want to do a mini audit of your branding and brand proposition, download my PDF checklist right here:

Brand vs Branding checklist_The Plot.pdf

Download PDF • 85KB

Why does the difference between brand and branding matter?

When you focus only on branding, you risk creating a beautiful shop window but nothing meaningful inside - no depth, reason to stay, community, vibe. When you invest in your brand, your proposition, your purpose, your customer experience and then express it well through branding, that’s when you win hearts, minds, and market share. Customers keep coming back, reviewing, referring and recommending.

The role of internal culture and brand values

A strong brand proposition is lived internally, not just projected externally. And that starts with your employees who “live the brand” and create more authentic customer experiences.

If you are struggling to get internal adoption of your brand proposition it will be very hard to instil it with consumers. So if you want to know how to build a memorable brand, start within your team.

A quick brand vs branding self assessment

• Do people remember your logo but not what you stand for?

• Where is your search traffic coming from, do people remember you by name?

• Are you getting positive reviews without prompting for them?

• Are you getting lots of attention but little repeat business?

• Do your customers describe your business the way you’d hope?

• Do you get lots of new business through word of mouth?

• Are people sharing your content on social media?

• Do your employees embrace and project the brand values and proposition in everything they do?

Aspect	Branding (First Impression)	Brand (Lasting Impression)
What is it?	Visual & verbal identity (logo, colors, voice)	Emotional perception, reputation, values
Timeframe	Immediate, at first contact	Built over time, through experience
Example	Packaging, website design	Customer loyalty, word-of-mouth

So, make the first impression count, but make the lasting impression unforgettable.

If you’re not sure whether it’s your brand or your branding that needs attention, let’s talk.

10 examples of company's with a great brand

1. Patagonia

2. Phantom Peak

3. Surreal Cereal

4. Who Gives a Crap

5. Timpson

6. Lego

7. Monzo

8. Toms

9. Skoda

10. IKEA

10 examples of company's with great branding

1. Spotify

2. Airbnb

3. Glossier

4. Blank Street Coffee

5. Mailchimp

6. Oatly

7. Made.com

8. Lush Cosmetics (they should actually be on both lists)

9. Wahaca

10. Blackgang Chine

    
    

Which brands do you think have both great branding and a great brand? Share your thoughts in the comments.

More about me.

I'm Catherine Warrilow and I write the brand strategies and propositions for visitor attractions across the UK and beyond. I help businesses to figure out the messy middle between what they do and what their customer actually wants - that's the essence of brand and often where all of your good intentions when it comes to marketing get lost and confused.