A common misconception about brands is that they are created in the marketing department. Brands are ads. Brands are logos. Brands are taglines.

Brands aren’t any of these things. Brands are experiences. They are feelings. They’re “what does this do for me and why do I care?”

There are so many things that can make or break a brand that cannot be bought with advertising, or cleaned up with strong copy or a crisp design. My top three?

1. A clear statement of purpose
2. A CEO/figure head with natural charisma and vision
3. A positive employee culture

All of these things contribute to building word of mouth, which we all know is still the #1 driver of new business in most (if not all) sectors. But these aren’t really marketing strategy elements — they are pieces of business strategy. They are intentional choices about how to run a business or organization. And they can make your marketing team’s job that much easier (or harder).

Good marketing strategy follows good business strategy. Because you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’ll still be a pig. (No offense to pigs).