How to actually run brand and performance marketing together

Stop running them in parallel. Start running them in harmony.

Most marketers say they run brand and performance together.

But if you peek under the hood, it’s usually two engines bolted to the same car, revving in different directions.

One’s chasing awareness. The other’s chasing conversions.

And both are wondering why the traction sucks.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately… especially as I wrap up my agency role and step into a new chapter as cofounder and head of growth at a venture studio. New projects, smaller team, and that thrilling chaos of turning vision into systems across every aspect of a business.

And one question keeps coming up in my mind:

How do you build a growth engine where brand and performance don’t just coexist, but actually reinforce each other?

Because here's the thing: the 60-40 rule from Binet & Field (60% brand, 40% performance) sounds simple on paper…

If you want sales today, you need to do direct response today. If you want even more sales tomorrow, you also need to do brand advertising today as well.

But in practice, it’s easy to fall into the trap of misaligned priorities, mismatched timelines, and creative that never quite clicks when you’re trying to juggle both (and a million other things).

So here’s the system I’m planning to implement, and what I’ve seen work at scale.

1. Start with a unified creative strategy

The problem:
Most teams build brand campaigns first, then try to retrofit them into performance ads. The result? Inconsistency, inefficiency, and confused creative.

The fix:
Build from a common platform. Your brand isn’t separate from performance—it informs it.

How to do it:

• Define your core brand message in one sentence

• Create a single master brief with both brand and performance goals

• Develop modular assets that flex across formats

• Use performance campaigns to test brand elements (messaging, colours, tone)

2. Layer your media strategy for compound effect

The problem:
Running campaigns in silos means brand and performance compete for attention instead of compounding it.

The fix:
Coordinate your media timing and targeting. Think layered, not linear.

How to do it:

• Use broad-reach channels (podcast, display) for brand

• Layer in targeted channels (search, social, email) to capture demand

• Sequence intentionally: launch brand, then ramp performance 2–3 weeks later

• Share signals, not just stats: use scroll depth, time on creative, or video views to understand who’s warming up—not just who converted

3. Measure the full funnel

The problem:
Brand metrics measure awareness. Performance metrics measure conversions. Neither tells the full story.

The fix:
Build a unified measurement model that spans the whole journey—from first touch to post-purchase sentiment.

How to do it:

• Track brand: unaided awareness, recall, sentiment, consideration

• Track performance: CTR, CPA, LTV, ROAS

• Measure overlaps: assisted conversions, brand lift, view-through attribution

• Run simple brand tracking surveys to understand how perception shifts over time

4. Design your workflow for context switching (and sanity)

The problem:
When you're running both brand and performance, context switching kills momentum. It’s easy to get stuck in execution mode without stepping back to see how it all connects.

The fix:
Structure your week and tools so that brand and performance inform each other—without burning you out.

How to do it:

• Use one central doc or dashboard to track both brand goals and performance metrics

• Block time: dedicate specific days to strategic planning vs. channel execution

• Document insights weekly—especially which brand ideas are driving conversions

• Revisit brand positioning every 4–6 weeks using real data, not just gut feel

5. Optimise the mix based on stage

The problem:

The 60:40 rule isn't universal. It depends on your company stage and market conditions.

The fix:
Tailor your brand/performance split to your growth stage and resource constraints.

Early Stage (0-$1M ARR):

• 20% brand, 80% performance

• Focus: proving product-market fit

• Brand effort: nail your positioning and messaging

Growth Stage ($1M-$10M ARR):

• 40% brand, 60% performance

• Focus: scaling what works while building differentiation

• Brand effort: invest in creative that makes performance more efficient

Scale Stage ($10M+ ARR):

• 60% brand, 40% performance

• Focus: defending market position and premium pricing

• Brand effort: full omnichannel brand building

What this looks like in practice

Weekly operating rhythm for solo/small teams:

• Monday – Review performance data and identify high-performing creative

• Tuesday – Use those insights to refine brand messaging and visuals

• Wednesday – Plan upcoming campaign sequencing and targeting

• Thursday – Run quick brand tracking polls or customer calls

• Friday – Optimise performance channels based on brand learning

How brand and performance marketing work together:

• Brand sets the emotional context that makes performance more efficient

• Performance gives you fast feedback on which brand ideas actually land

• Coordinated timing = frequency without fatigue

• Shared signals = sharper creative and smarter targeting

Stop treating brand and performance as rivals. One creates demand. The other converts it when the prospect is ready. Together, they build momentum.