Veritas Analytics’ Post

In the words of Craig David, let's Re-Rewind... Imagine you’re an ambitious eCommerce brand, growing fast, hooked on performance marketing. The thrill of immediate results – ooofff those conversions, clicks, and ROI data coming in hot – it’s addictive. You see the numbers, and you’re thinking, "This is it." But one day, you hit a wall. Those short-term wins aren’t stretching as far. You’ve built speed, but where’s the stability? That’s when you realise you need more than just performance. This is where brand-building steps in. The best brands know this is a two-sided coin. While performance is about hitting today’s numbers, brand is the foundation that makes tomorrow possible. Brand fuels long-term growth, providing the credibility, trust, and recall that keeps your audience engaged even after they log off. Think of it this way: performance is your car’s engine, but brand is the fuel. Both are critical for a journey that’s going the distance. The brands mastering this dual approach? They’re scaling faster, adapting smarter, and seeing efficiency where others see a plateau. In a world where digital landscapes shift and cookies are fading, balancing short-term and long-term is no longer optional. When brand and performance work in sync, it’s not just conversions you’re chasing; it’s a brand that’s built to last.

Musings : The death of Marketing strategy Marketing has always tipped the scales in its favour when compared to Sales. Ask B-school grads what do they prefer ? After decades of the evolution of Marketing as a fine art, selling has been relegated to an outcome . Many believe that selling is supply fulfilment, a lower level activity. As long as you had a brand; consumers will just buy. While it is important to build the brand, the three pillars of (a) availability, (b) assortment and (c) visibility at point of sale ; continue to be crucial. Gone are the days when consumers continue to buy their favourite brand for decades. The consumer is now flirtatious and willing to try new brands. Thanks to the Internet and e-commerce, brand/price discovery has been democratised like never before. The loyal customer is a myth. Where does that leave a brand proposition ? I believe it’s still fundamental ; possibly more relevant than ever before; to any brand, even in this world of 10 minute deliveries. Why ? Because the market is extremely crowded. Product quality is a hygiene. Product superiority is easily replicable with technology. To survive and win in this ‘dog eat dog’ world of ‘me-toos’ claiming to be unique; brands have to go back to the basics - of rediscovering and reaffirming their core brand proposition. For me, unless Marketing converges to increasing trials and purchase at point of sale, it is just another activity. Companies are loath to ask this question, happy with tracking brand awareness and consideration. Likewise sales needs to be agile and flexible enough to mesh with an ever evolving marketing gear. Marketing and Sales needs to tag team now more than ever. Hence the big questions.. 1. How do brands identify their unique and compelling brand propositions for today’s TG ? 2. How do they ensure consistency and adherence to the proposition across touch points ? 3. How do they stay relevant with change ? Do they change the core or the adaptations of the brand proposition ? 4. Is a proposition just about an emotional hook ? Or is it about a ‘basket of value’ - emotional, functional and monetary ? The above, makes Marketing in today’s age seem like climbing Mt Everest, but that too has now become passé. The possible insight is that there is no lasting insight / no perfect business model / no brand proposition ; which will stay relevant in all situations. Brands need to identify the core and then build an agile / flexible playbook of marketing/sales tactics around it, ready to be deployed quickly as the situation changes, like a constantly evolving matrix. What will count more is not the brilliance of one strategy but the ability to learn and pivot tactics as part of an ever evolving strategy basis the dynamic market. If I’ve managed to confuse you enough, my job is done because at least after reading this heavy piece, you’ll give rest to LinkedIn at least for a while. Cheers and have a good weekend..!!

Scaling DTC brands is actually very simple, in principle. All you need is: - a product people WANT - a website that converts - enough inventory - a creative machine - someone running your ads that knows what they are doing - a retention machine However, the reality: - people mistake making a few sales for genuine PMF - websites get built that 'look nice' and it takes too long for the lightbulb to come on that conversion rate is the most important thing and they can worry about looking nice when they are doing 100m a year - managing inventory is a real skill, minimizing dead stock and ensuring best-sellers are always on hand (or at least the majority of the time, the odd sellout can be great for creating fomo as long as the restock doesn't take months) - creative gets made that 'looks nice' and it takes too long for the lightbulb to come on that conversion rate is the most important thing and they can worry about looking nice and being totally on-brand when they are doing 100m a year - most agencies and freelancers are bang average and either phoning it in by totally relying on Meta and Google automation or don't know how to scale and are scared if they increase a budget by more than $20 they will go back into the dreaded learning phase and everything will sink to zero - retention encompasses several things including email and customer service; on email usually there is little to no A/B testing happening to drive results and things get stale, we saw significant performance jumps for one client last year when we convinced them to: a) stop being so transactional in every email and add value [jab, jab, hook] b) send more organic-looking text-only emails instead of the same templates and graphics all the time c) do multiple daily sends for big sales, before they were scared of 'getting a load of unsubs and lower deliverability' but from doing this the only thing that went up was their revenue So while it sounds easy enough in theory, the tougher reality is why most brands won't make it. Anything I missed?

The key driver of the asset value at the acquisition was having a machine that could effectively, and predictably, drive BOTH short-term activation AND our resilient base of revenue, WHERE the percentage of total revenue coming from that resilient base was consistently going up over time (see image). This is what it means to have a strong Brand. At the beginning, we had no idea what Brand building was, much less how to tie it to and improve, financial results. However, when we learned how to define it, we could deconstruct the customer behaviors that drove Brand Strength. This informed exactly *how* to build our Brand, which, when combined with effective short-term activation, translated into consistently increasing profits. — Most of us understand how to drive the short term activation. However, the resilient base of revenue, and how to grow it, has historically been much less understood. So you don't have to waste years in the valley of misunderstanding, here’s the 4 step process to growing your resilient base. -- Step 1: Define The Strength of Your Brand in Terms of Specific Business Results * Our Brands are quantified by the revenue we have when we turn ads, discounts, and promotions off, AKA our resilient base of revenue. Step 2: Define the Specific Purchase Behaviors That Lead to These Business Results * Customers will come to your site and purchase either by searching for your Brand terms or directly entering your URL in their browser * They’ll show up as organic or direct session or other 'unpaid' traffic source, or in retail as sell-through at reg price. * Importantly, this doesn’t mean we didn’t spend dollars to drive these high quality purchase behaviors. * Most likely, you did spend dollars to create, and distribute, content that drives the responses in Step 3. Step 3: Define the Short-Term Customer Responses that Best Drive Those Purchase Behaviors 4 key things we learned on this front: a) All marketing is Direct Response marketing. Every marketing activity - including "brand" - should drive short term responses. b) Customer responses are a reflection of a mental shift in your customer. They no longer need to rationally evaluate multiple brands when they are in-market for your category. Rather, they decide your Brand is *the* option for them. c) Examples of these responses: all digital interactions (social, search, list subscription, etc) customers perform on behalf of your Brand. d) Note the word “Best”. We learned the key is not only to identify these behaviors, but to be able to prioritize them based on the ones that best drive Step 3, Step 2, and ultimately, Step 1. Step 4: Define the Actions You Can Take to Drive Those Customer Behaviors * Now that you have the metric to optimize (the short-list of prioritized responses), you can create a feedback loop where you constantly try stuff, learning more and more about how best to drive these behaviors. Bingo. You're done.

A premium accessories brand (average order value €84 / ₹7500 over the last 12 months) only had 5% of customers opening its emails. This was a problem because the brand had no scope to earn incremental revenue from retention/lifecycle marketing. Previously, the brand was either not communicating for an extended time or was blasting irrelevant emails to its entire audience. Brand Content Strategy (BCS) was asked to step in and plug the leak. To successfully resolve this, we had the following focus areas: 1) visual & written content that clearly & consistently reflects the core value 2) retention/lifecycle marketing infrastructure (marketing tools, analytics, covering touchpoints) 3) segmenting audiences without bias, and tailoring appropriate messages 4) relentless testing The catch? It required the brand to introspect and change its existing methods to an extent. This particular team pulled it off fabulously, but – We have seen two common traps that brands fall into: 1) Externalised solutions. It is believed that the third-party tool/agency will solve all (internal) problems. However, to lose flab, one needs to do the walking by themselves – a coach can not walk for you. 2) Silo'd operations. Just training one limb won't help. Similarly, fixing one aspect (customer retention infrastructure) won't necessarily improve customer acquisition. Our work with eCommerce brands (big & small, Europe & India) has seen across-the-board performance improvements (better ROAS, revenue growth, repeat purchases, improved advertising CTR) and high-performing deliverability (with email opens averaging 55%). This allows them to create an audience that listens, and access their willing attention in case of a promotion or for feedback. What a treasure!

🚀 Case Study: Prioritizing User Journey Over Search Volume 🚀 At Brandnations Inc., we’ve transformed how our clients approach content creation, shifting the focus from sheer search volume to supporting the user journey. Here's how this shift has sparked remarkable growth for one of our clients: 🔴 The Challenge: A leading e-commerce brand was seeing stagnated growth despite high search volume for their industry-related keywords. Their content strategy was heavily based on ranking for popular keywords, but it wasn’t translating into meaningful user engagement or conversions. 🔵 Our Approach: 🔶 Understanding the User Journey: We mapped out the complete user journey for their target audience, from initial discovery to post-purchase support. This deep dive revealed key pain points and desires that weren't being addressed. 🔶 Tailoring Content to User Needs: Instead of chasing high-volume keywords, we crafted content that addressed specific needs and questions throughout the user journey. This included how-to guides, problem-solving articles, and personalized recommendations. 🔶 Optimizing for Engagement: We used data analytics to monitor how users interacted with the content. By continually refining our approach based on user feedback and behavior, we ensured the content remained relevant and engaging. 🔷 The Results: The shift in strategy was transformative. Within six months, the client saw a 35% increase in organic traffic, a 50% boost in engagement metrics, and a significant rise in conversion rates. By focusing on content that genuinely supported their users' needs, the brand not only improved their online presence but also built stronger customer relationships. At Brandnations Inc., we believe that understanding and supporting the user journey is key to driving sustainable growth. Want to see similar results for your business? Let’s chat! 🔗 www.brandnationsinc.com #ContentMarketing #UserExperience #SEO #DigitalMarketing #GrowthStrategy #politicalconsulting #ecommerce #saas

99% of eCommerce brands are lost in the noise. Your content is falling flat. and it’s costing you sales and loyalty. Safe, generic posts? Forget it. If you want your brand to grow, you have to be bold. Most eCommerce brands stay in their comfort zones. posting the same “safe” product promos and getting ignored. They’re afraid to say something different, to shake up their audience’s thinking. Here’s why that’s hurting growth: Playing it safe is why engagement is low. Here’s what you should be doing instead: ✅ Post with intention. What are you actually trying to say? Is it valuable, or is it just filler? Stand out with direct, memorable content. ✅ Get personal. Share the real story behind your products. Make your audience feel the “why” behind what you offer. Boring content doesn’t convert. ✅ Challenge your audience. People want brands they can believe in. Speak directly to their needs; solve real problems. The right customers will resonate, and the rest will scroll past. We’ve done this for clients, transforming plain posts into high-impact content that drives loyalty and sales. And the results? → Higher click-through rates → Stronger brand connections → Real growth and revenue Stop blending in with the crowd. Start making waves. P.S. Are you ready for the weekend? We’re still taking consultation calls, but only 5 spots left! Let’s chat about creating content that truly converts.

Companies around the globe are choosing to utilize web personalization for benefits like increased sales conversions, attracting and retaining consumers, and enhanced brand loyalty. But, it's crucial to integrate personalization strategies correctly – otherwise, your company may miss out on bottom-line benefits or experience other adverse effects. Learn the major pitfalls to avoid in marketing personalization, and how to do it right: https://hubs.ly/Q02wcBF40

Companies around the globe are choosing to utilize web personalization for benefits like increased sales conversions, attracting and retaining consumers, and enhanced brand loyalty. But, it's crucial to integrate personalization strategies correctly – otherwise, your company may miss out on bottom-line benefits or experience other adverse effects. Learn the major pitfalls to avoid in marketing personalization, and how to do it right: https://hubs.ly/Q02ngTtL0

Companies around the globe are choosing to utilize web personalization for benefits like increased sales conversions, attracting and retaining consumers, and enhanced brand loyalty. But, it's crucial to integrate personalization strategies correctly – otherwise, your company may miss out on bottom-line benefits or experience other adverse effects. Learn the major pitfalls to avoid in marketing personalization, and how to do it right: https://hubs.ly/Q02rlTl80