On Brand Strategy

The Guest

Tom Roach is VP of Brand Strategy at Jellyfish, a global ad agency out of the UK. Over his decades of experience, he’s worked at adam&eve DDB, BBH London, Leo Burnett, his work has been awarded several times by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, he is a font of knowledge and a great follow on social, and he’s here today to talk about brand strategy.

The Essence of Brand Strategy

Roach emphasized that brand strategy should be distinguished from business strategy, though there are overlaps. "Any kind of strategy is about a small number of things," he explained, stressing the importance of understanding a brand's vision, objectives, and the unchanging elements that define it. He shared his experience from adam&eve, where strategy was simply "the bit before the ads."

Jellyfish's Approach to Brand Strategy

At Jellyfish, the approach to brand strategy involves a blend of various capabilities and specialties. Roach elaborated on how initial client discussions are far-ranging, focusing on issues and potential solutions. He highlighted Jellyfish's evolution from a performance marketing agency to one that incorporates creative campaigns across diverse channels, facilitating "big brand thinking with the tools available."

The Shift in Mindset and Marketing Science

Roach also touched upon the need for a mindset shift in strategy, especially when clients hit a performance plateau with short-term tactics. He praised the UK's focus on marketing science, mentioning influential works like "Long and Short of It" by Les Binet and Peter Field, which advocate a balance between short-term and long-term advertising for effective brand growth.

“We are very lucky in the UK because of the axis of marketing science,” explains Tom, “The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) in UK and Ehernberg Bass Institute (EBI) in Australia. Since the early 80’s there has been advertising effectiveness research coming out of these bodies in droves, and this informs marketing science.”

Tackling the Attention Problem in Digital Advertising

Discussing the attention crisis in digital advertising, Roach cited Karen Nelson Field's research, which found that 85% of digital ads fail to hold attention beyond 2.5 seconds. He suggested the need for brands to defy category conventions and surprise audiences to enhance memorability and brand lift.

Measuring Brand Strategy Effectiveness

When it comes to measuring the effectiveness of a brand strategy, Roach advocates a balanced approach. He suggested combining short-term metrics (like sales) with longer-term metrics (like brand awareness and market share). He also mentioned his preference for Marketing Mix Modeling and Share of Search as effective measurement tools.

Key Advice on Brand Strategy

Roach concluded with a powerful message: "Brand strategy is a creative act, not a scientific process." He emphasized the importance of ideation and the generation of ideas, which are at the heart of effective brand strategy.

To hear what analytics are essential for reporting on brand strategy, how marketing mix modeling and attention metrics can help, an amazing brand strategy story from Sainsbury’s, what Tom thinks about the brand and advertising strategies of Amazon, Salesforce, and Prime Energy Drinks, and to find out if Tom chooses bagpipes or death, listen to the full interview at the links provided above and below.

The Links

Jellyfish
Tom on LinkedIn
Attention Metrics from Karen Nelson Field 

LISTEN TO THE FULL SHOW -> Stay tuned, stay curious and subscribe to What Gets Measured on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or add it as a Favorite on your podcast player of choice.