# What is brand advertising?

> Brand advertising builds awareness and preference so people choose you later, not today. How it differs from performance ads, which metrics fit it, with an example.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-13
- **Category**: Strategy
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-glossary/brand-advertising

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Brand advertising aims to make people know, remember and prefer your brand over time. It does not ask for a sale today. Performance advertising asks for a measurable action now, such as a purchase or a lead.

## Brand and performance side by side

| | Brand advertising | Performance advertising |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Be known and chosen | Get an action now |
| Audience | People not ready to buy yet | People closer to buying |
| Typical metrics | Reach, [CPM](/glossary/cpm), [frequency](/glossary/frequency), brand search | Purchases, cost per purchase, [ROAS](/glossary/roas) |
| Payoff | Slower, spread over months | Faster, easier to trace |
| Creative | Story, feeling, a clear brand | Offer, proof, a call to action |

Most brands use both. The question is how much of each, and when.

## A worked example

Say you spend INR 2,00,000 on a video awareness campaign. It shows 20,00,000 impressions to 8,00,000 different people.

**CPM = spend / impressions x 1,000**

**Frequency = impressions / reach**

- CPM = 2,00,000 / 20,00,000 x 1,000 = **INR 100**
- Frequency = 20,00,000 / 8,00,000 = **2.5**
- Cost per 1,000 people reached = 2,00,000 / 800 = **INR 250**

Each person saw the ad 2.5 times on average. The numbers are made up. None of these show a sale. They show who you reached.

## How to measure it

ROAS is a poor judge here, because a brand ad works on people who are not ready to buy. Use these instead:

1. **Branded search.** Do more people search your name after the campaign?
2. **Reach and frequency.** Did you reach your target market, enough times?
3. **Holdout and geo tests.** Hide the ads from one group or city and compare. See [incrementality](/glossary/incrementality) and [geo lift test](/glossary/geo-lift-test).

## When to start

If you need sales this month, start with performance ads. Add brand work once your product page converts and you know your numbers. Match the message to what buyers know. See the [awareness levels](/glossary/awareness-levels).

## FAQ

### Is brand advertising worth it for a small D2C brand?

It depends on your stage and budget. Many small brands start with performance ads and add brand work once the offer and the page convert.

### Can I run brand advertising on Meta?

Yes. Meta has awareness-focused campaign objectives. Measure reach, frequency and CPM, and judge the result over weeks, not days.

### Is brand advertising the same as awareness advertising?

Awareness is the first goal of brand advertising. Brand advertising also aims at recall and preference.

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