No, not because they build your brand, but because they’re how you improve the performance of your performance ads.
(Note: I don’t love the terms “brand” and “performance” either, but you know what I mean.)
If you’ve been following me, you’ve probably seen me talk a lot about Signal Detection Theory, but it explains a lot about why advertising works or doesn’t.
Here’s a great example:
In SDT, there are two curves:
One for noise (the background environment)
One for signal + noise (when your ad is present)
The distance between these curves is called d-prime (d′), it measures how easily someone can detect your signal. One of the biggest drivers of d-prime is how sensitive someone is to your brand.
That’s where brand investment comes in. When someone is familiar with your brand, they become more sensitive to it. It’s easier for them to notice it, whether it’s on a landing page, in a newsletter, or buried in a feed.
That’s what brand-building does. It increases the odds that people detect your signal all the time.
There’s also something called the criterion threshold, essentially, how willing someone is to say “yes, I saw something worth engaging with.”
When someone is in purchase mode, that threshold drops. They’re more open. They notice more. That’s why performance ads work.
But, they don’t just notice your ad, they notice every relevant ad.
So unless your ad is clearly, recognizably you, you lose the advantage you paid to build. The signal is stronger, but no one knows it’s coming from you.
So always, always brand your performance ads.
Not to build your brand, but to leverage the brand you already built.
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