What is brand activation? If you’re a business owner or work in marketing and you’ve heard the term ‘brand activation’ thrown around a lot lately, but you’re not sure exactly what it means, this blog is for you.
Marketing can be a bit full of trendy buzzwords at times, but brand activation isn’t new – it’s a modern way of describing a strategy filled with tactics that we’ll all be familiar with. Brand activation describes how businesses bring their brands to life, creating meaningful connections with their audiences. For B2B companies – like many of those we work with – these connections can be the difference between being remembered and being overlooked.
What does brand activation mean for B2B marketers?
Brand activation refers to any campaign, event or initiative that inspires your target audience to actively engage with your business. Unlike branding which refers to your ongoing look, feel, and messaging, brand activation is usually focused, strategically timed, and designed to spark an emotional response. We often refer to it as your living, breathing brand – the thing that takes it off the page and into the lives of your target demographic.
Different types of brand activation include:
- Experiential marketing – (what this writer might have previously referred to as events marketing, or brand engagement) giving real-world experience of your brand
- Interactive campaigns – digital or in-person campaigns that encourage participation
- Product or service launches – designed to generate excitement and credibility (maybe even a bit of buzz in your industry)
- Employer brand activation – bringing your team along with you, making sure they embody the values of your business while communicating them consistently (think Greg from Monzo, for example)
Why does brand activation matter for B2B and SMEs? Isn’t it just for the huge consumer brands?
If you’ve got your eye on marketing, you might have seen headlines about eye-catching brand activations like IKEA’s store sleepover events or Maybelline’s huge eyelashes appearing on trains in London. While having those large marketing budgets (and that kind of reach) would be a dream for most marketers, those audiences might not be quite right for smaller, more niche businesses – and those budgets aren’t realistic for SMEs.
That said, brand activation should still be used as a way to build credibility, trust, and long-term relationships with your audience.
Here’s a handy list of brand activation benefits for when you sell it to your board or justify it to your finance department:
- Differentiation – in crowded markets, brand activation helps your business stand out and stay front of mind.
- Awareness – well-executed activations increase visibility and put your brand in front of new potential customers.
- Trust and credibility – by demonstrating real value through engaging campaigns, you strengthen relationships with prospects and clients.
- Sales and revenue – greater awareness and engagement lead to more enquiries, higher conversion rates, and repeat business.
- Loyalty and advocacy – personalised, memorable experiences turn existing customers into long-term advocates.
- Stronger digital presence – campaigns increase social media engagement and extend your reach online.
- Media opportunities – creative activations attract press coverage, amplifying your message and reinforcing credibility.
Examples of brand activations in the UK
While we might not always have the budget that we’d like for every campaign, we can take inspiration from some well-known brands:
- Innocent Drinks “Big Knit” – Innocent’s long-running campaign shows how a simple, creative activation can build community engagement and long-term brand loyalty.
- Greggs x Monzo Sausage Roll ATM – this brand collaboration gained more reach by teaming up.
- Barclays Eagle Labs – Barclays didn’t just launch a service; they created co-working spaces and business hubs across the UK, bringing their brand values of innovation and support to life for SMEs.
So, how can you develop a successful brand activation?
Once you understand what brand activation is and you’ve decided it’s right for you, it’s time to make it work in practice. Here’s some actionable tips to get you started:
- Begin with clear objectives – understand what it is you want to achieve. Whether you’re launching a new product/service, building new relationships, or generating more leads. This will give your campaign purpose and help you to set measurable benchmarks for success.
- Know your audience – your brand activation needs to resonate with the right people and in small businesses, that’s often a niche audience. Do your research, understand their pain points, industry challenges and values. Make sure you choose a format that fits with how they’d usually consume information – maybe a workshop, LinkedIn campaign, or industry event. Personalise their experience, where possible.
- Be human – working in B2B marketing doesn’t mean you have to be faceless. People still want to buy from people, so put that at the heart of your activation. Storytelling is an important tool for any marketer, so whether that’s showing the personalities behind your business on an exhibition stand or a digital webinar, that’s how you’ll stand out.
- Be creative but stay on brand – try not to make your brand activation so random that your audience doesn’t recognise it’s you. Use your creativity to highlight your strengths. We work with lots of businesses in the packaging sector and we’d love to see them showcase the strength of their boxes by showing how many dogs could safely fit inside, for example.
- Integrate digital and physical touch points – even if your activation is offline, its impact doesn’t have to stop there. Encourage attendees to share their experience on social media (a branded hashtag, digital assets, or photo opportunities can help). Create supporting content before, during, and after the event (blogs, videos, case studies). Use email or LinkedIn campaigns to nurture leads after the activation. This ensures your activation has a longer shelf life than just the event itself.
- Measure and learn – activation without measurement is just a nice idea. Decide upfront how you’ll track success, whether that’s through engagement metrics (event attendance, social shares, sign-ups), lead generation or pipeline opportunities. We recommend post-activation surveys or feedback forms to understand the campaign’s impact. Finally, review the results – what worked, what didn’t, and what should be repeated or refined. Over time, your brand activations will improve, become more cost-effective, and more impactful.
How can Browndog help?
At Browndog, we work with clients of all sizes to design and execute brand activations that are strategic, creative, and effective. Our process typically involves:
- Building the foundations – defining positioning, audience, and goals.
- Concept design – whether it’s a digital campaign, live event, or multi-touch point approach, we’ll tailor the design to your audience.
- Development and delivery – we’ll make sure every touch point reinforces your messaging and values.
- Measuring impact – we’ll track engagement, leads and outcomes to understand what works and what needs refinement.
