Brand versus performance marketing: Ending the false dichotomy

Published: 6/2/2025

CMOs often find themselves at a crossroads when it comes to prioritizing either short-term performance or long-term brand-building efforts. Traditionally, marketing teams have viewed these objectives as mutually exclusive, leading to suboptimal strategies. However, the reality is that brand-building and performance-driven marketing are interconnected elements that, when executed and measured together, drive sustainable growth.

Alembic Technologies’ AI-powered Marketing Intelligence Platform empowers CMOs to capture the impact of both approaches, turning traditional marketing challenges into opportunities for smarter decision-making.

Brand marketing vs. performance marketing

Performance-based marketing focuses on measurable outcomes such as immediate ROI, conversions and clicks. Companies that aim to generate leads or acquire customers often prioritize this strategy to drive immediate sales and conversions.

Brand marketing is typically long-term and involves more abstract metrics, such as brand awareness, customer loyalty and sentiment. Companies interested in brand marketing may employ a public relations team, for example, to establish their company’s executives as thought leaders. While crucial for sustained success, these metrics can be harder to quantify, making them less justifiable when the focus is on short-term results.

Though these two approaches may seem at odds, the reality is that they are deeply interconnected. Performance marketing often serves as the catalyst for brand-building efforts, creating momentum and driving consumer awareness. Conversely, strong brand-building strategies make performance campaigns more effective by establishing positive brand associations, which drive consumer engagement, leading to improved performance metrics.

Alembic’s platform is built with proprietary software to track both aspects simultaneously, allowing CMOs to see the relationships between performance analytics and long-term outcomes.

Harnessing a dual-focus strategy

With Alembic, CMOs no longer have to choose between brand and performance marketing. Instead, they can harness both simultaneously, using the platform’s AI-driven insights to create a marketing ecosystem that works in harmony. Alembic measures the short-term impact of performance marketing alongside the long-term value of brand-building, helping CMOs develop strategies that drive immediate results while strengthening their brand’s position for sustained growth.