Let’s be honest. Brand building often gets sidelined in budget discussions. For many CFOs, brand feels like a black box: creative but costly, and difficult to measure. It’s treated as an expense, not a driver of growth. But the data in a recent MMA study tells a different story. Brand isn’t just about awareness or image; it’s a growth engine that drives long-term sales.
Let’s look at the numbers. A study by Campbell’s shows that shoppers who feel favorably toward a brand are twice as likely to buy. Even more striking, in Kroger’s case, customers who become newly favorable convert at three times the rate of those who don’t feel positive about the brand. That’s not just a feel-good statistic, it’s a direct link between brand perception and sales outcomes.
(Source: BRANDNOMIC$: The Solution to CMO/CFO Misalignment on the ROI of brand?)
Add to that, here’s what most teams overlook: more than 80% of the sales lift from a campaign happens after the campaign has ended. If finance teams focus only on immediate returns, they’re missing the majority of the value. Brand doesn’t stop working when the ads go dark; it keeps driving sales long after the campaign wraps.
(Source: BRANDNOMIC$: The Solution to CMO/CFO Misalignment on the ROI of brand?)
This is the conversation marketers need to have with finance teams. Brand isn’t a nice-to-have or a line item that gets cut when times are tough. It’s a business asset that builds momentum, drives conversions, and creates long-term value. Campaigns that chase short-term wins risk leaving long-term growth on the table.
The smartest marketers already understand this. The smartest finance teams will too. It’s time to stop treating brand as a cost and start recognizing it as a driver of sustainable business growth. The data is clear. The impact is real. Let’s invest in brand like the asset it truly is.
Connect with us to get started. Let’s unlock smarter marketing together.
