In a world of commoditization, your brand is a commercial asset and powerful growth lever that belongs in your GTM strategy as a measurable driver of enterprise value.
"The most important asset we have, it's our brand. And unfortunately, we hadn't invested in the brand for a while. We are reversing that." (Chief Executive of 1-800Flowers.com, Adolfo Villagomez, Wall Street Journal).
It's refreshing to hear a CEO so plainly speak about brand as a strategic investment with commercial upside. For much of the last decade, brand has often taken a back seat to performance marketing and quarterly revenue targets, with marketing teams rewarded for proving attribution. In both B2C and B2B, marketing budgets have migrated toward GTM activities that generate immediate, measurable returns: more paid media and campaigns tied to short-term activation. These investments are critical and should be a part of any marketing mix.
But as organizations have optimized for capturing demand, many have scaled back investments in creating it. Investments in strategy, positioning, and messaging generate long-tail commercial returns that are harder to attribute quarter to quarter … harder, but achievable (we’ll unpack several measurable brand metrics later). Now, in a market increasingly shaped by AI and commoditization, investment in brand is emerging as a powerful growth lever, especially in B2B.
Brand investment is a measurable business imperative. A 2026 analysis from Brand Finance found that companies with stronger B2B brands command a 65% premium in forward price-to-earnings multiples compared with weaker peers. The world's 300 most valuable B2B brands now represent more than $4 trillion in brand value, accounting for approximately 11% of enterprise value across those organizations; the top 100 B2B brands grew 15% year over year, outpacing comparable B2C brands.
Strong brands have greater investment value because they signal pricing power, strengthen customer loyalty, and create confidence in future cash flows: “Companies that take their brand seriously outperform those that don’t. It’s as simple as that. If your B2B brand isn’t actively reducing risk, strengthening pricing power, and supporting valuation, then it’s not just underperforming, it’s a missed financial asset” (David Haigh, Chairman, Brand Finance).
Saudi Aramco's 2020 acquisition of a 70% stake in SABIC provides a clear example of brand as a balance-sheet asset. Saudi Aramco recognized the SABIC brand at approximately US$4.8 billion as an indefinite-lived intangible asset, alongside roughly US$26.4 billion in goodwill (Aramco Annual Report). Before an acquisition, brand is often treated as a marketing expense. During an acquisition, it becomes an asset that buyers are willing to pay billions for.
And in FY2026, Oracle spent approximately $8.3 billion on sales and marketing (around 12.4% of annual revenue), underscoring that sustained brand building and go-to-market capability are viewed as strategic investments rather than discretionary costs (Oracle FY2026 Form 10-K).
A strong brand sends powerful signals so you can attract new customers, investors, and critically in the current market, top talent (69% of organizations report difficulty finding skilled, qualified candidates). This isn’t a groundbreaking insight, but one that’s especially relevant with the surge in M&A activity and the challenges B2B companies face in capturing market share in a sea of sameness and bland uniformity.
A well-positioned, differentiated, consistent brand improves the performance of almost every commercial motion because buyers understand your unique value before they enter a sales conversation. This translates into measurable outcomes:
In an era of commoditization, as products converge and discovery becomes increasingly mediated by AI, recognizable, credible brands become a valuable moat and growth lever.
Brand should be measured just like other strategic assets: by its contribution to business performance, competitive advantage, and enterprise value. Look beyond campaign metrics like impressions and engagement and track whether your brand is strengthening these outcomes over time:
A company with a strong brand is also a more attractive place to build a career. That's becoming increasingly important as organizations compete globally for scarce talent, particularly in highly technical industries (Brand Finance Employer Brand Index). Companies with a strong employer brand reduce cost-per-hire by up to 43%, according to LinkedIn research, while attracting significantly more qualified candidates.
For companies expanding into AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, or other highly technical sectors, a strong brand gives prospective employees confidence that the company has a compelling future, creating an advantage beyond compensation alone.
The next time you're defending your marketing budget, show leadership the business case for brand investment. Brand may be intangible, but its commercial impact isn't. Measure it, invest in it, and treat it like the strategic asset and growth lever it is.
