What does advertising really do for a brand?

By Lolu Akinwunmi

One of the biggest mistakes organisations make is expecting advertising to perform roles it was never designed to perform. It is therefore instructive to state that:

Advertising cannot compensate for poor products.
Advertising cannot consistently rescue poor customer service.
Advertising cannot permanently overcome broken promises.
Advertising cannot build trust where trust has already been lost.

Yet none of this diminishes advertising’s importance. On the contrary, Advertising remains one of the most powerful strategic tools available to organisations, but only when its role is properly understood. For emphasis, I am saying: Advertising does not create a brand, but gives expression to one, and its job is to translate strategy into meaning.

Sadly, this is where many organisations become confused. They judge Advertising almost entirely by short-term sales or responses. While sales are important, the true value of Advertising extends far beyond immediate transactions. At its best, Advertising performs five strategic functions that strengthen a brand over time:

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Advertising Creates Meaning People do not buy products simply for what they do. They also buy what those products represent: status, identity, aspiration, belonging, confidence or a particular way of life. Advertising therefore helps attach these meanings to brands. For example:

A watch tells time, but a Rolex signifies achievement.
A mobile phone makes calls, but an Apple iPhone represents innovation and creativity.
Coffee satisfies thirst, but Starbucks represents experience and lifestyle.

And so, Advertising gives brands meaning by creating stories, symbols, emotions and associations that elevate products beyond their functional benefits. Brands that fail to create meaning eventually compete on price alone.

2. Advertising Creates Differentiation Consumers are surrounded by countless alternatives. In crowded markets, products often perform similar functions, offer comparable quality and compete at similar prices. And so, Advertising helps answer one critical question: Why should I choose this brand instead of another?

Whether the difference lies in innovation, heritage, service, design, reliability or emotional appeal, Advertising communicates that distinction repeatedly until it occupies a clear position in the consumer’s mind. Differentiation is one of advertising’s greatest contributions to competitive advantage.

3. Advertising Builds Memory Even though consumers sometimes buy brands they don’t know or have not experienced, Brands that are easily remembered are more likely to be considered and chosen. One of advertising’s most valuable roles is creating what marketing scholars describe as mental availability, the likelihood that a brand comes readily to mind whenever a buying situation arises.

Every consistent advertisement reinforces memory.
Every familiar logo strengthens recognition.
Every repeated slogan deepens recall.
Over time, these repeated brand signals accumulate into long-term memory.

This is why consistency in Advertising is so important, because Brands are remembered long before they are purchased.

4. Advertising Translates Culture We already discussed this extensively. Global brands cannot communicate identically in every market. Successful Advertising understands that while a brand’s identity should remain consistent, its expression must often reflect local culture. The most effective campaigns preserve the brand’s essence while adapting language, music, humour, traditions and imagery to local realities.

This is why Coca-Cola can communicate happiness in Lagos, London, Nairobi and São Paulo while allowing each campaign to reflect its own cultural environment. Advertising therefore acts as a cultural translator, making global brands feel locally relevant without losing their identity.

5. Advertising Builds Confidence Consumers naturally associate visible, professionally managed brands with credibility. Consistent Advertising signals stability. It reassures consumers that the brand/organisation is serious, established and committed to the marketplace. This is particularly important for new brands entering competitive markets. People may not immediately purchase simply because they see an advertisement. But repeated exposure reduces uncertainty and gradually builds confidence. Advertising therefore creates familiarity, and familiarity often precedes trust.

Perhaps the most important lesson is this: Advertising does not work in isolation. It performs best when it reinforces a brand that consistently delivers on its promises. Outstanding advertising may persuade consumers to try a product once. Only a strong brand experience persuades them to return. The relationship between Branding and Advertising is therefore complementary rather than competitive:

Brand strategy determines what the brand stands for.
Advertising communicates why that matters.
When both work together, they create something far more powerful than either could achieve independently.

That is why organisations should stop asking whether advertising works. The better question is: Is our Advertising consistently expressing a brand that truly deserves to be remembered?

That is where advertising creates its greatest strategic value.

Next in MSS-06.4: “Campaigns Build Sales. Brands Build Businesses.” Please join me, and feel free to comment, share, and invite others to subscribe to The MarCom Strategic Series (MSS). Thank you.

‘Lolu Akinwunmi, Publisher
The MarCom Strategic Series (MSS)

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