Damola Richard Salvador, CEO and Lead Strategist at Digisplash, a content-led, integrated marketing and advertising agency, urged business owners to prioritize branding and marketing over manufacturing, arguing that perception drives business success more than product features.

Importance of Customer Interaction

He stressed that companies must understand that branding goes beyond logos and websites, emphasizing that every customer interaction builds or destroys brand perception in today’s competitive marketplace.

Instagram Live Session

Salvador made this known during a recent Instagram Live session themed “Am I Building a Brand or Just Running Business”? where he addressed critical brand building strategies for African businesses competing against global giants.

Buying Loyalty through Branding

The brand strategist said: “You can actually buy loyalty with good branding. It’s kind of like a relationship.

For a lot of brands or companies, they’re always in a hurry to make money, but you can’t see people as just transactions.

You need to start seeing people as people.”

Brand Perception in Action

He added: “Take two bottles of Coke with the same content, one is dirty, one is clean. Which one will you choose? You’ll choose the clean one. Both give the exact same value, but the difference is the branding. Perception is reality.”

Apple as an Example

Using Apple as a prime example, Salvador noted that the tech giant does not necessarily have the best features but dominates through strategic brand positioning.

He explained: “Apple is 20% manufacturing, 80% marketing and branding.

They give you a perception, and perception is reality.

Even when you can’t compete in terms of features and spend, you can compete in terms of perception.”

Prime Energy Drink Case Study

He cited Prime energy drink as another success story, highlighting how the brand competed with established giants like Coca-Cola and Red Bull despite having significantly smaller marketing budgets.

Salvador said: “Prime came into the market and couldn’t compete with Coca-Cola, Pepsi, or Red Bull in terms of marketing spend or longevity. But they understood their audience, Gen Z and millennials found the brand cool.”

Finding a Unique Selling Proposition

The marketing expert therefore advised businesses to find their unique selling proposition rather than copying competitors.

He explained: “It’s like how everyone is different, even twins.

You need to find that differentiating factor, your unique selling proposition.

There’s always something unique, your story, background, history, location.

People love authenticity, so find out what makes you authentic and sell that.”

No Shortcuts in Brand Building

Addressing concerns about immediate revenue versus long-term brand building, Salvador emphasized that there are no shortcuts to sustainable business growth.

He said: “There’s no shortcut you have to build your brand. If you don’t build it now, it affects you later.

Clients running app downloads say ‘we just want downloads.

But if you build your brand, you get more downloads.

You get better results with a better brand.”

Clarifying the Meaning of Branding

He dispelled the myth that brand building requires expensive investments, noting that many entrepreneurs misunderstand what branding actually entails.

Salvador said: “The problem is what people think branding is.

They think logo is branding. You already have a brand, even if you don’t know it.

Even without a logo, you have a brand. If you’re even a one-man business, you are the brand.”

Defining Branding

Salvador concluded by defining branding in its truest form. He said: “Your brand is what people think about you when you’re not there, your audience’s perception of you.

Every transaction and interaction are building or destroying your brand.

Being professional is part of your branding. Following processes is part of your branding.”

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