The WARC Podcast What does brand building really mean in e-commerce?
Aug 12, 2025
Sam Carter, the CEO of Fospha, dives into the complexities of brand building in e-commerce. He discusses how essential brand equity is for commercial success and the tension between immediate sales and long-term growth. Carter shares insights on the necessity for startups to shift from performance marketing to comprehensive branding, offering strategies for budget allocation. The conversation also touches on the concept of 'digital rent' in brand awareness and the need for tailored approaches in brand advertising, as well as innovations in data analysis tools.
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Brand's Hidden Weakness For DTCs
- DTC brands often rely on conversion ads and neglect demand generation.
- Sam Carter says conversion activity becomes harder unless brands invest in generating demand.
Teams And Measurement Are The Real Barrier
- Brand and performance teams operate in silos and block joint ROI.
- Sam Carter warns current measurement systems don't support upper-funnel investment.
Small Brand Spend Improves Efficiency
- Investing even 5% of budget in awareness lifts marketing efficiency across brands.
- Sam Carter found brands with <5% awareness spend had about 20% worse efficiency.