Brand AND Commerce: The Growth Formula CPG Brands Can’t Afford to Ignore

Too often in CPG marketing, we hear a familiar either/or refrain: "Should we invest in brand building or in performance marketing?"

The marketing landscape has shifted. Upper-funnel tactics like brand storytelling and awareness building still matter—but if they don’t connect to action, you’re leaving sales on the table. At the same time, lower-funnel performance tactics—search, retargeting, promotions, shopper marketing—can’t succeed without a strong brand to back them.

According to the Multiplier Effect report from WARC, brands that shift toward a balanced mix of brand and performance marketing can see an ROI lift of 25–100%, with an average increase of 90%.

Over-index on either, and you’ll feel the strain:

• Too much performance marketing? CPA spikes. Your ROAS declines. You burn through audiences without replenishing them.
• Too much brand building? You win hearts, but not checkouts. Your efforts don’t drive the velocity you need on shelf or in cart.

Brand Commerce. The perfect balance.

At Blue Chip, we specialize in helping CPG brands strike the right balance. We build plans that don’t sacrifice the soul of the brand for short-term wins but also don’t ignore the urgency of real revenue results.

Brand Commerce means:

• Crafting emotionally resonant stories that connect to a path to purchase.
• Aligning media strategy so that brand campaigns ladder into conversions.
• Recognizing signals when you’re out of balance (like aging audiences or rising CPAs) and course correcting quickly.

If your brand is stuck at one end of the spectrum, it might be time to rethink your marketing model.

Let’s talk about how to unlock both short- and long-term growth with Brand Commerce.