Brand marketing is a continuous process from the time a brand is born. The aim is to create awareness of the company and build a long-term relationship with its customers. In contrast, shopper marketing is different from traditional promotions. It creates last-minute appeals for the shopper to make the purchase.

Brand and shopper marketing have traditionally existed in silos, with their own techniques, forms of knowledge, objectives and KPIs. One has a natural alignment with sales, leveraging an in-depth understanding of the retail environment and how to activate within it; the other, a full understanding of brands and how to build and maintain them.

Shopper marketers focus on making last-minute appeals to shoppers at the very moment they’re considering buying, while other forms of marketing try to increase overall awareness and affinity for a brand or product.