The Power of Three: Brand, Performance & Fame Marketing

In a world of conflicting marketing advice, it’s tempting to pick sides. Long vs short. Brand vs performance. Awareness vs action.

But what if the most effective strategy wasn’t about choosing, it was about combining?

At Leopard Co, we’ve always believed that marketing is most powerful when it brings together creativity, commercial purpose, and cultural relevance. That belief is now backed by data from some of the most respected names in the industry.

Across three key pieces of research, Media in Focus by Binet & Field, The Multiplier Effect by WARC and System1, and R.E.D. Marketing by Creed & Muench — one consistent truth emerges:

The smartest brands win by combining equity-led brand building, high-performance marketing, and culturally magnetic fame.

Let’s break down the Power of Three.

1. Equity-led Advertising: The Emotional Engine

Binet & Field’s Media in Focus (2017) remains a cornerstone of effectiveness thinking. Their research shows that long-term brand building campaigns — especially those that use emotion and storytelling — are more likely to drive:

Sustained business growth
Higher pricing power
Stronger long-term ROI

These campaigns work not just because they grab attention, but because they build mental structures — associations that stick with people and influence future choices.

In the performance era, brand-building can seem like a luxury. But it’s not. It’s the engine. And according to WARC and System1’s Multiplier Effect research, it’s also the accelerant…

2. Performance Marketing: The Conversion Machine

Performance marketing has earned its place, it’s accountable, scalable, and essential for acquisition. But it works better when you’re already liked, remembered, and trusted.

That’s where The Multiplier Effect comes in. WARC and System1 found that: “Brand-led campaigns make performance media more efficient.”

In other words, when people already know and feel something about your brand, your click-throughs, conversions and return on ad spend go up. You’re not convincing strangers. You’re nudging fans. It’s not brand vs performance.

It’s brand plus performance, with each making the other stronger.

3. Building Fame: The Cultural Accelerator

The third element is often overlooked, but it might just be the most magnetic of them all.

In R.E.D. Marketing, Greg Creed and Ken Muench argue for something they call Social Relevance, the idea that brands grow when they create talkability. Fame. Buzz. Something worth mentioning at a party, posting to your story, or dropping into a WhatsApp group.

Whether it’s KFC’s legendary “FCK” apology ad, Duolingo’s chaotic TikToks, or Taco Bell’s Las Vegas weddings, the goal is simple:

Be bold enough to get noticed. Be different enough to get shared.

Fame today isn’t just earned through PR headlines, it’s built through shareable social content, meme-worthy campaigns, and smart brand behaviour online. From “did you see what they just posted?” to trending hashtags and influencer collaborations, social buzz has become the new word of mouth.

Fame is more than PR or social, it’s cultural capital. And when you combine that with emotional brand building and sharp performance delivery, you create a strategy that’s hard to beat.