October 1, 2025

Why Engage a Branding Agency in addition to Marketing and Advertising?

Megan Stephens & Nicole Satterwhite

Megan Stephens and Nicole Satterwhite are the Co-CEOs and Owners of Willoughby Design, an ICOM member agency from the U.S. that has been developing brand strategies, identity systems and experiences since 1978. Willoughby is the longest, continuously running, woman-owned branding agency in the U.S., now proudly in its second generation of ownership.

Strong branding takes people from ho hum to hell yeah! What do we mean by that?

A brand can consist of a logo that’s just ok and the business can still do just fine. But the companies that consistently invest in building equity in their brands with experiential brand systems are the ones we all remember. Those are the brands that have value on the company balance sheet.

Close your eyes and think about a brand that has your loyalty. A brand that you will buy every single time, even if it costs a little more or will take a little longer to get to your door. A brand that you trust the product or the service or you connect with the leadership and your values align with theirs.

Are you an Apple person? Ducati or Harley? Nike or Adidas? Some people only buy Dawn because it saves wildlife. Strong brands surpass emotional connection and become part of your identity as a human. This is the power of branding: it shapes decisions, builds loyalty, and ensures that a product is the first choice in a crowded market.

When a business hires a branding agency, they should look for a team of expert strategists, designers and writers who specialize day in and day out on developing brand identity systems. Different than a more generalist advertising or marketing team, this team should focus on the core elements of the brand that will live at the foundation of all internal and external communications and deliver on the following:

Clarity: Brands that clearly understand their audience and why they exist for that audience are always the most successful. Don’t try to be everything to everybody. Work to be something really important and special to a select group of people.
Consistency: A seamless experience that works across every point of contact gains recognition faster. And the ultimate test: If you cover up the logo on a product or communication can you still recognize the brand based on form, color, graphics or voice? Think T-Mobile magenta or Method soap dispensers. This is not an easy thing to achieve but with strong brand standards in place, it’s very possible. And you can never stop — it requires discipline and commitment.
Confidence: When a brand is thoughtfully designed to reflect the things that are unique to the business and the authentic shared values of the leadership team, everyone involved can believe in it and present it with pride. That belief will spread. Others will join. And the brand will grow.

So what’s the secret sauce?

Branding work requires mutual trust. It is personal and emotional. Not only is it about creating engaging and ownable communications, it is equally about bringing a leadership team together to rally around a clear strategy that will, in turn, guide the right branding solution for the company.

Branding work also requires client/agency collaboration. It should never be a “hey agency, go away and bring us ideas” approach. This kind of work is too foundational. As a client, you know your business, product and audiences better than anyone else. A strong branding team brings a deep understanding of how to ask the right questions, inspiration from outside your organization to challenge your status quo and the ability to function as an extension of your in-house team or advertising agency of record.

Lastly, one of the biggest mistakes companies make is when they try to fund branding work within an established annual marketing budget. Day-to-day marketing should never be put on hold or sacrificed for brand work. Branding needs to be done in addition to marketing, and like a building or equipment, it’s a long term, capital investment in the business.

Now more than ever consumers have a lot of options to choose from, which means businesses should do much more than offer value and quality to win them over.

Strong branding not only differentiates a business in a crowded market but also fosters the emotional connection needed to secure internal loyalty and long-term customer relationships.

It all starts with taking the time to understand the business, the category, and the culture. A good branding agency acts as a true partner, not coming in with a predetermined solution but coming in knowing how to guide the creative process and how to get the right results.