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Integrating Brand and Demand Marketing for Maximum Impact in Healthcare

Chief Marketing Officers who engage strategically, advocate for patients and demonstrate marketing’s value can help unleash growth even in uncertain times.  

It seems that every CMO, in every sector, faces increasing pressure to demonstrate value for every dollar in their budgets. It’s the classic brand-demand tension, where CFOs and other senior business leaders seem to prefer the clear and tangible metrics (e.g., lead generation, conversion) associated with demand or performance marketing over the softer measures of brand value (e.g., awareness, propensity to buy).  

Senior marketers know this tension. Prophet recently conducted interviews with senior marketing leaders from health systems and hospitals and their input was clear: effectively integrating brand-building with demand generation campaigns has never been more challenging. Partly that’s a function of cost pressures and resource constraints. Partly it’s due to the unique dynamics of healthcare marketing (where consumers don’t necessarily want to buy your products).  

But healthcare organizations that get brand and demand working in sync see clear and compelling benefits: stronger brands, more satisfying patient experiences, higher customer lifetime value and – most importantly – better health outcomes.  

Prophet’s extensive research, Brand and Demand: Marketing’s Greatest Love Story, shows how top-performing marketing organizations are 3X more likely to fully integrate brand and demand. And the research, The Multiplier Effect, we conducted in partnership with WARC, Analytic Partners and BERA.ai and System1 shows how a balanced approach can lift overall revenue returns by 25% or more.     

So how do marketing leaders successfully integrate brand and demand to optimize results? From our research and market engagement, we see three proven practices. 

1. Engaging senior leaders to align marketing strategies to business priorities and outcomes. 

Too often, marketing in healthcare is seen as a service function, activated only in response to external pressures or internal requests. But the most effective CMOs reposition marketing as a strategic lever for growth, leveraging brand and demand investments to drive measurable business results. 

Strategic engagement with boards, the C-suite, clinical leaders and other stakeholders is essential to shift the perception of marketing as a PR or communications function. When marketing is tied to system objectives—whether that’s growing a service line, expanding reach in a rural market or strengthening reputation with policymakers—it becomes easier to make disciplined choices and avoid reactive spending. 

Take the “billboard dilemma,” for instance. Many CMOs face pressure from internal stakeholders who ask, “Why don’t we have a billboard like our competitors?” But this isn’t really a question about outdoor advertising. It’s a proxy for a larger issue: Are we doing enough to be visible and competitive in the market? When CMOs have already built alignment around business goals and shared metrics, these conversations become strategic rather than reactive. It’s no longer about appeasing concerns, it’s about showing how brand investment fits into an integrated marketing mix designed to drive outcomes. 

“The best decisions are made collaboratively, with everyone looking at the same data,” said Jason Vandiver, a senior marketing and communications officer. “Because we all understand and agree on the most important activities, there’s no competition for resources.” This alignment allows marketing leaders to advocate for the right choice at the right time—explaining when and how brand investments will pay dividends in the long term and when performance marketing should take the lead to deliver short-term results. And when trade-offs are unavoidable, CMOs who are aligned on strategy are best positioned to guide the successful integration of brand and demand. 

20%: minimum proportion of the marketing budget that should be allocated to brand-building

40-60%: the “best practice” range for branding spend of marketing budget

Source: The Multiplier Effect report 

2. Embracing patient centricity and advocacy as a North Star for disparate investments and activities.  

CMOs should ensure all marketing activities and investments link directly to the organization’s mission: helping people lead healthy lives. CMOs can be advocates for patient needs, which can—and should—be a unifying force for the entire organization and essential to the brand vision. “We try very hard to focus on the consumer, rather than going to market with a product orientation,” said David Hook, executive director, marketing & consumer experience, John Muir Health. “Yes, we need to sell services, but in our marketing, we invite customers to come to us for their overall health, not for a specific surgery or procedure.” 

Delivering on patient centricity requires deeper customer insights, another area where healthcare CMOs can make meaningful contributions. For instance, core insights can be used to articulate a clear brand promise that guides all marketing activities and focuses on patient needs, according to Hook: “When it’s clear to the organization what patients care about, it becomes less about the advertising and more about how we deliver better healthcare.”  

In this sense, demand campaigns don’t just produce revenue; they also help people access the care they need. Marketing delivers on their mission when consumer targeting drives people to preventive screenings and procedures.  

What leading marketers do:

  • 87%: use customer insights for brand positioning and value propositions vs. 66% of all marketers 
  • 86%: apply customer insights to all parts of the marketing discipline, vs. 63%  
  • 82%: tie customer data and insights to measurable business outcomes, vs. 59%  

Source: Prophet Brand & Demand research 

Several CMOs highlighted the value of detailed patient journeys across service lines, which can help support consistent branding and promote “right-time/right-channel” messaging. Mapping these journeys also ensures marketing efforts align with patient needs at each stage of care, which increases relevance, enhances experience and strengthens trust. “We have defined some amazing patient journeys that guide our engagement and retention teams,” said Kim Reed, senior marketing manager, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  

3. Demonstrating both short- and long-term results via data-driven modeling and analytical rigor  

As with their peers in other sectors, healthcare CMOs must balance short- and long-term objectives and be data-driven and analytics-led in sharing results. The pressure to carefully measure value will only intensify given the challenging financial situations of most organizations today. 

What leading marketers do:

84%: confidently measure and management long- and short-term performance simultaneously, vs. 57% of all marketers 

Source: Prophet Brand & Demand research 

“The need to show hard dollar-impacts lead us to do more performance marketing,” said Hook of Muir Health. He also highlighted the importance of showing leadership what different types of media can deliver. “We bring estimated numbers to the leadership group and say, ‘if we do this, our awareness and preference will go up this much and it will cost this much.” Such efforts are necessary, because “there’s still a disconnect between what we can show actually works and what leaders think works,” according to Vandiver.  

Jennifer Horton, associate vice president of marketing, communications and media at UT Health San Antonio, embraces a model that balances brand, engagement, reputation and growth, which she finds resonates well. “These are things that are top of mind for our boards, senior leadership, and our physicians.” 

Sophisticated propensity, attribution and marketing mix models, as well as more powerful analytical tools, are becoming more common. Some marketing teams build their own; others rely on external partners, though smaller institutions may be challenged to find the budget for advanced tooling. At Corewell Health, the brand analytics team uses proprietary models to “triangulate the different data sets and go beyond linear reads and gain multi-dimensional visibility into our performance and how to improve it,” according to Holly Sullivan, vice president, system brand and marketing.  

Corewell tracks fairly closely to the classic 60-40 brand-demand budget allocation and aims to be “thoughtful in building long-term brand strength for top-of-the-funnel awareness.” To track brand strength, the organization uses a composite score related to being the “system of first choice,” but is always looking for complementary metrics. 

Healthcare by its nature creates unique tracking challenges. Vandiver noted that it’s not just the clicks or someone calling a number that shows ROI. “Because the average consumer isn’t looking for healthcare at any time, but only when they or a family member has a need, it’s hard to figure out how we get from interest to conversion to the financial output,” he noted.  

In this sense, the brand advertising that creates awareness may be the difference maker when the actual medical need arises as a demand signal. Disconnects between CRM platforms and back-office financial systems also make attribution trickier than in, say, consumer goods or financial services. 

Marketing Excellence

FINAL THOUGHTS

Healthcare marketers have always faced unique challenges due to the complexities of the industry. And the perennial tension between brand and demand adds an extra dimension for CMOs facing budget cuts and intense pressure to demonstrate value.  

Still, strong marketing teams are critical to keep hospitals and health systems financially stable and individuals and communities healthy. And the more effective CMOs are at integrating intentional, data-driven tactics to drive near-term demand with long-term brand-building programs the more successful they’ll be in helping their organizations fulfill their mission and meet their objectives.  

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Future-Proofing Through Capability: SIAEC’s Vision of Growth 

Uncommon Growth Leaders is an article series featuring bold leaders driving faster, smarter, more sustainable, more human and more actionable growth—what we call uncommon growth. 

Chin Yau Seng is the Chief Executive Officer of SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC). He joined SIAEC as Chief Executive Officer-Designate in June of 2023 before takingover as the Chief Executive Officer in October 2023. 

Prior to his current role, Mr. Chin was Senior Vice President Cargo, Singapore Airlines (SIA), following the re-integration of SIA Cargo (then a wholly-owned subsidiary of SIA) as a Division within SIA. Previously he was the President of SIA Cargo. 

He has also held positions as the Chief Executive SilkAir and Tiger Airways Holdings. Prior to his move to SIA Cargo, he held the position of Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing in SIA. 

Mr. Chin has a Bachelor of Science (Economics) in Accounting & Finance and a Master of Science (Distinction) in Operational Research, both from the London School of Economics & Political Science, University of London, UK. 

How would you define growth in your organization? 

Mr. Chin: As an MRO, we provide airlines with maintenance, repair and overhaul services. To succeed, our business must adapt to the evolving commercial aviation space across the globe and, especially over the past few years, be nimble enough to navigate emerging supply chain issues. For us at SIAEC, growth means expanding our capabilities to stay relevant and scaling up to remain competitive. In pursuing growth, we not only invest in technical capabilities and infrastructure but also aim to add value to our ventures through our “software”—that is, our people, our processes and our uncompromising focus on quality and safety. 

Aircraft and engine technologies will continue to evolve, driven by high fuel prices and sustainability considerations among other factors. By constantly looking for opportunities to expand our capabilities vis-à-vis new generation platforms (i.e. new generation aircraft and engines, as well as their components), we are able to create new growth opportunities for our business and in the process, help to future-proof it. At the same time, we do not ignore opportunities to grow the business volume associated with older platforms, as aircraft and engine types typically have long lifetimes. 

Investing in our people and ensuring that they have the skills and tools to effectively leverage new technologies, including AI, are also essential to achieving sustainable growth.  

Could you tell me more about investing in people and why it’s important? 

Mr. Chin: Some companies would think about growth mainly in terms of expansion of the customer base, revenue and income streams. While those are fundamental components, we should also not ignore the need to grow our capabilities and develop our people. How our people see their roles, and how they approach work and business in general, are critical factors in determining the health of the organization and success of the business. 

Besides supporting and encouraging them to embrace digital solutions to derive deeper insights from data, it is also important that we nurture a culture of learning, collaboration and innovation, and even entrepreneurship, and allow it to flourish within the organization. 

In one of our initiatives, we are partnering with Prophet to develop and implement a Continuous Improvement (CI) Culture program to energize and unite our employees towards our shared CI goals, as well as to unlock their full potential, imbue a “test and learn” mindset, and bring the right CI behaviors, habits and actions to life at SIAEC. In our business, if we do not invest in our people, we will be left behind. 

Navigating through complexity, how do you address disruption? 

Mr. Chin: With the demand for our services broadly linked to the performance of the aviation sector, we are already naturally exposed to economic and geopolitical risks, among other things. Many of these macro risks are beyond our control, but we should not be caught unprepared when faced with disruptions. We must look at what we can control and assess how we can apply levers to make us more resilient in the face of the various risks. 

For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in supply chains, prompting us to be more agile and adaptable. Post-pandemic, the supply chains for various aircraft components have also been disrupted, and if we do not adapt well to such disruptions, the business impact can be significant. For example, without agile planning and supply chain management, the absence of certain aircraft  parts, that are used during the maintenance visit of an aircraft, can significantly lengthen the aircraft’s stay in the hangar, resulting in opportunity cost, sub-optimal manpower deployment and customer dissatisfaction. To further improve our control over such situations, we are now in the midst of rolling out a new Enterprise Operating System (EOS) that enhances flexibility, data leverage and process efficiency.   

We are also diversifying geographically beyond the Singapore shores and expanding our portfolio of capabilities to reduce over-dependence on specific aircraft or engine platforms. 

On the people front, we are promoting collaboration and a “test and learn” mindset, where we encourage and empower our staff to take  initiative, find effective solutions or improvements in their daily work, and continuously look for opportunities to learn and grow. This is part of our effort to build an agile workforce that can adapt to new challenges and seek opportunities for our business amid changes in the landscape. 

Other than external disruptions, how do you adapt your growth strategy to increasingly demanding customers? 

Mr. Chin: Despite global headwinds, aviation remains on an upward trajectory. A growing middle class continues to fuel travel demand, making Line Maintenance1 a key growth area. Beyond Southeast Asia, we see long-term growth potential for line maintenance services in markets such as China and India, and even mature aviation markets like the U.S. and Japan due to a high concentration of aircraft flights. 

We are actively diversifying our investments geographically to expand our business scope and customer base. In our Base Maintenance2 business, for example, we are working on operationalizing two large aircraft hangars in Malaysia and are actively growing our customer base at our hangars in Clark in the Philippines. 

As previously mentioned, we are also growing new capabilities vis-à-vis new generation platforms. For us, embracing new technologies and innovations is a no-regrets move that serves the needs of both our customers and ourselves. Another avenue of growth we are pursuing is inorganic growth through acquisitions and forming greenfield Joint Ventures (JVs) with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), along with other partners, to introduce new capabilities and/or MRO capacity, allowing us to better meet evolving customer requirements and maintain a competitive edge.  

We are expanding engine MRO capacity and capabilities through our JVs with Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney while cross-selling to deepen customer relationships and broaden our network. This drives both breadth and depth in our service offerings, helping us to continue to offer value and remain relevant to our customers. 

Across these growth levers, how do you see AI as part of your strategy today at SIAEC? Do you foresee a progression in AI usage and adoption? 

Mr. Chin: AI is an evolving space for us, particularly Generative AI. It’s a natural next step in enhancing operational efficiency and customer experience. But success requires structure. We need a disciplined approach to AI integration and an upskilled workforce that is ready to adapt. Ultimately, it’s about evolving our capabilities and tailoring them to meet business challenges and serve our customers better.  

Glossary

1 Line Maintenance’s work primarily involves regular inspections, repairs, and maintenance of aircraft, including aircraft washing and cabin cleaning while they are on the ground and between flights, as well as technical ramp handling including pushback, towing, and ground support equipment. SIAEC Line Maintenance has a global footprint of over 30 airports, including Singapore. 

2 Base Maintenance’s work refers to the comprehensive maintenance work carried out on aircraft which requires more extensive repairs and overhauls than those performed by Line Maintenance. This includes detailed inspections, repairs, modifications, and refurbishment of aircraft structures and components. This occurs at SIAEC’s maintenance hangars – 6 hangars in Singapore, 3 in Philippines, and 2 to be completed in Malaysia. 

Business Strategy

FINAL THOUGHTS

Prophet helps clients unlock Uncommon Growth— the high-impact growth that is sustainable, faster, smarter, more human and more actionable, requiring organizations to increase speed to market while building the right capabilities, culture and business models to outpace disruption and drive lasting impact. 

Rooted in consumer insights and business outcomes, we create strategy that’s sharp, focused and pragmatic. Explore how we can partner with your organization to drive real growth. 

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What Forward-Thinking Brands Revealed About Growth at ANA’s Brand Masters “Revolutionaries” Conference

Prophet highlights learnings from leading marketers and modern brands on integrating culture, creativity and performance for long-term business growth.

As we announced recently, Prophet is now the founding and flagship sponsor of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) new Brand Practice. Given our new partnership, we showed up in forces at the ANA’s Brand Masters “Revolutionaries” conference, held May 7-9 last week in Los Angeles. 

Marisa Mulvihill, who leads our CMO practice, hosted a breakfast with research partner WARC on brand and demand integration; Mat Zucker, our own CMO, spoke on stage about the opportunity in gaming for brands with Ashely McCollum, head of immersive media solutions at Roblox; and Prophet also provided every in-person attendee with a copy of our Vice Chair David Aaker’s Aaker on Branding, Second Edition released that week, giving them the first copies available in America.

This year’s conference was exciting and showcased lessons from brands that are not often heard at national conferences. Over three days, ANA’s EVP Brand & Media Stephanie Fierman and team curated an experience for in-person and virtual attendees, in which, as she explained, “bold, innovative brands take center stage, breaking boundaries and redefining what it means to be a modern marketer.” In addition to Roblox, other presenters came from brands such as True Religion, Poppi, Converse, Saatva, and Target. Topics addressed the brand from every angle, including expanding the case for the brand, brand success at different stages of maturity, and the challenges marketers consistently face, such as brand measurement.  

A Few Session Takeaways from Propheteers in Attendance: 

  • Allison Ellsworth’s story with Poppi showed how bold innovation, paired with culture-first, authentic marketing, can revive even the most stagnant categories. By reimagining soda as a functional, better-for-you product, Poppi disrupted the beverage industry and secured a significant deal with Pepsi.  —Clare Conroy
  • Aki Spicer of Monks and Danielle Spikener of KraftHeinz discussed the organic process of “flirtation through activation” that led to the breakthrough partnership between DJ Mustard and Heinz mustard. Capitalizing on the rap beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, Heinz moved quickly to tap into the cultural movement by promoting the authentic partnership between the beat-making grill connoisseur and the legendary condiment company. —Danny Pomerantz 
  • Emily Sly at Popsockets spoke about building a brand to maintain growth. She talked about the need to build the brand to extend beyond the successful product. She shared their brand purpose: Bringing radical positivity to our tech relationships. —Mat Zucker 
  • In a session about brand-led growth and the C-Suite, Audible CFO Cynthia Chu adopts an investment mindset, viewing marketing as a strategic asset rather than a cost center. She recognizes the importance of building trust between marketing and finance by setting aside her functional hat and adopting an enterprise perspective. For measurement, she doesn’t let people use bottom-funnel metrics to measure upper-funnel activity. Find other ways to do it, such as a brand lift study. Some are hard, she knows. They have a category called “feels right” for channels like experiential, which can be tough to measure. Instacart’s Laura Jones got rid of having a separate brand budget and a separate performance budget and collapsed them together. —Mat Zucker 
  • Joe McCambley spoke to Saatva’s in-house transformation and proved that brands can achieve greater efficiency and creative excellence by building internal teams deeply immersed in the product and customer. With the addition of a creative-only home studio and repositioning the brand for a re-defined target audience known as the “Research Junkies”, Saatva unlocked more focused, impactful storytelling.  —Clare Conroy 
  • Tim Parr, inspired by our own David Aaker’s frameworks and stories, explained how a laser focus on the underserved needs of aging Gen Xers enabled the huge growth of Caddis. Building a brand around “aging awesome”, creating a new category of “eye appliances,” and making the product sexy, stylish, and cool has earned Caddis an enviable price premium. —Marisa Mulvihill 
  • When Target rolled out its Holiday 2024 campaign, little did they know how the public would react. Target tells the story of what started out as an innocuous and updated Santa, who went incognito as Kris K, a Target employee, turning viewers on their heads when they all concluded that he was handsome, titling him “Hot Santa.” Target decided to roll with it, using their follow-up ads, which caused a viral internet sensation that appeared on primetime TV shows like The Tonight Show. It was a glimpse into a large company being caught off guard, bending to public response, and pivoting to a more humorous campaign theme versus the original holiday intention of family and the warmth of the season. —Kristi Yover 
  • Not from a brand, but certainly an inspirational expert and best-selling author, Dr. Marcus Collins discussed making meaning through our culture. “We see the world because of who we are.”  Marketers don’t make meaning. We signal it.” —Mat Zucker  

Prophet is partnering with the ANA to help marketers elevate brand as a strategic growth and performance driver. We’ll be focusing on developing tools and insights to position brand as a measurable business asset, integrating brand and performance marketing, advancing brand ROI frameworks to support marketing intelligence and C-suite decision-making, breaking down silos to unify brand, media, and performance teams and enabling agile, journey-based strategies rooted in audience insights.

Brand Building

Uncommon Growth for Uncommon Times

Prophet research shows how some companies achieve uncommon growth year after year.

The world today faces a new wave of uncertainty—economic headwinds, geopolitical conflict, and rapid technological shifts are testing the resolve of business leaders everywhere. While the current moment feels unprecedented, the past five years were no less turbulent. Our research into companies that achieved Uncommon Growth—sustained, industry-beating performance from 2019 to 2024—offers timely lessons in how exceptional growth is not only possible in times of disruption, but often because of how leaders respond to it.

What is
Uncommon Growth?

We define Uncommon Growth as exceptional, sustainable growth – 2x industry average over a five-year period – through innovative and human-centered strategies that drive meaningful impact. Our research identified 100+ companies that delivered uncommon growth since 2019 and – more importantly – revealed how they produced it.

Delivering
Uncommon Growth

Our research methodology: We examined the results of companies in the S&P Composite 1500, which is a broad measure of the US large, medium and small public companies, covering 90% of US market capitalization. Our list of 179 Uncommon Growth companies include: 

01
Four of the Magnificent 7 – Amazon, Apple, NVIDIA, and Tesla

02
Organizations both big and small, with more of the latter, which have an advantage driving growth from a smaller base

  • 40 from the S&P 500, including 28 with $13 billion or more in revenue
  • 137 from the S&P 1000

03
On average, these companies achieved 27% annual revenue growth from 2019-2024, compared to only 6% for other companies.

04
45 firms that engaged in significant M&A activity in the past five years, with total estimated deal value of $450+ billion.

What Drives
Uncommon Growth?

Our research and analysis revealed three key drivers of uncommon growth:

These drivers don’t exist in isolation. In fact, the synergy among them drives transformative impact via human-centered strategies at many top performers. For instance, a strong, adaptive culture fosters innovation by creating an environment where employees feel empowered to experiment and take calculated risks. A resilient culture also helps organizations withstand disruption and adapt more readily to changing market conditions, a requirement for sustaining growth over time. 

A note about M&A: Growth is the main goal of many acquisitions, and some companies have used M&A to achieve Uncommon Growth. The key is strategic intent – identifying deals that go beyond just “buying revenue” to produce new capabilities, enter adjacent markets, and accelerate speed-to-market.  

A note about sectors: Some industries have higher growth than others compared to their respective industry averages. For instance, Uncommon Growth companies in consumer staples had an average five-year CAGR representing 670% growth compared to non-UGC firms.  

Our research and analysis revealed three key drivers of uncommon growth:

Driver 01:
Customer Obsession

Uncommon growth starts with a deep, empathetic understanding of customers and a relentless commitment to fulfilling their needs. It’s not just about driving sales but becoming an indispensable part of people’s lives. This obsession involves a relentless focus on customer needs and experiences and can drive initiatives by informing product development priorities and accelerating innovation to adapt to changes more quickly.

3x higher sales and marketing investment

Between 2019-2024, UGC companies invested +5pp more of their revenue on sales and marketing than non-UGC companies (12% vs 7%) and expanded these investments at 3x the rate of non-UGC companies (20% vs 6%).  

Uncommon Growth
in Action

Hims & Hers captured $1.5B in annual revenue and built a strong healthcare brand focused on Gen Z, which is different from how it has been done for other generations. By fusing cultural sensitivity, convenience, affordability and a feedback-driven approach, the company turned stigmatized healthcare needs — like hair loss, erectile dysfunction, mental health, and acne — into approachable conversations that address key pain points (long wait times, uncomfortable in-person consultations, opaque pricing).

Their strength lies not just in identifying trends but in creating a nimble infrastructure to respond to them—both technologically and creatively. Data-driven insights based on regular feedback from an engaged base continue to fuel new offers and experiences. A retail aesthetic more akin to Glossier or Casper than Rogaine — clean design, warm tones, and frictionless UX – have set it apart from its competitors.

American Express is known for its premium service and the exclusive access it offers card members, integrating exceptional lifestyle experiences alongside traditional financial services. Its growth strategies are driven by a deeply ingrained customer-first mindset and enabled by “closed loop” data sets, which incorporate both detailed transaction data and merchant data.

The unique combination of data generates insight that AmEx uses to more effectively engage and serve both corporate card account and cardmembers at large. The results are  industry-leading Net Promoter Scores and high customer retention, particularly in its high-value card segments.

Driver 02:
Pervasively Innovative

Sustaining uncommon growth takes more than splashy, one-off new product launches. Transformative and lasting impact happens when innovation is embedded in the cultural DNA, is part of everyday operations and supported by continuous R&D investments and recognized by short-term impact. It’s essential to build innovation as a capability.

+17% higher R&D investment growth vs non-UCG companies. Uncommon Growth companies average R&D growth of 23% between 2019 and 2024, versus 6% for non-UCG companies.

Innovation can be a growth multiplier in both existing and adjacent markets. Uniquely rich experiences and targeted solutions unlock untapped value when they meet customer needs in surprising and powerful ways.

Speed matters, too. Developing new offerings with agility and getting them to market faster are hallmarks of uncommon growth. That’s why innovation should be viewed not as magic, but rather as a repeatable and scalable capability.   

Uncommon Growth
in Action

Duolingo’s data-driven Growth Model and innovative mindset have helped quadruple daily users since 2019. Their approach combines gamification principles, behavioral science and aggressive AI adoption to continually enhance content and boost engagement. A marketing strategy centered on social-first storytelling drives earned media.

The heart of Duolingo’s innovation is a full-stack R&D engine, where in-house linguists, learning scientists, and AI researchers continuously test and iterate through live A/B experiments (as many 3,000 at any given time), using a sophisticated personalization engine to adapt difficulty, content pacing, and feedback in real-time, significantly improving retention and learning outcomes. 

NVIDIA has not just innovated successfully—it has institutionalized innovation as a core competency. Through high R&D investment, a vertically integrated platform approach, strategic risk-taking, and diverse innovation methods, it has consistently stayed ahead of major technology curves. Its recent dominance in AI infrastructure and services is the clearest signal that this innovation capability is paying off at scale.

This was not just luck, NVIDIA had the foresight in 2006 to begin positioning its GPUs beyond gaming, particularly for parallel processing tasks critical to AI. 

Driver 03:
Culture as a Catalyst

Culture, when seen through a human-centered lens, becomes far more than an enabler of strategy—it becomes the strategy, providing the connective tissue between a company’s purpose, its people, and its performance. In this view, culture is not a backdrop to growth—it is the engine of growth.

Designing culture intentionally—from the inside out—requires aligning leadership behaviors, organizational structures, and employee experiences with a clearly articulated purpose. It’s about activating the behaviors, beliefs, and rituals that inspire people to move in the same direction. It’s not about top-down mandates or one-size-fits-all frameworks but about nurturing the soul of an organization so that every decision and every interaction reflects its unique identity. That’s how to create a culture where transformation not only takes root but thrives.  

60% of Uncommon Growth companies have been recognized for cultures that attract and retain top talent via development programs and ethical practices.

Uncommon Growth companies actively align culture with growth strategies. Their leadership styles and decision-making processes directly account for employee engagement and customer needs. Workers are encouraged to be creative, experiment, contribute ideas, and learn from mistakes.

Uncommon Growth
in Action

Paylocity’s culture isn’t just a soft asset, it’s a scalable system that powers innovation, retention, differentiation, and loyalty. By designing internal processes, employee experience, and even product features around its cultural values, Paylocity has built a durable competitive advantage. The company’s consistent focus on transparency, inclusion, and empowerment fosters trust—both within teams and with clients—resulting in faster decision-making and stronger cross-functional execution. Culture also acts as a filter in Paylocity’s acquisition strategy, ensuring that new additions enhance rather than dilute its value system. Perhaps most critically, Paylocity has translated its internal culture into a marketable product differentiator: its HCM platform promotes engagement, collaboration, and connection, mirroring how the company operates internally. This alignment between how it works and what it sells creates authenticity, deepens customer loyalty, and positions Paylocity as a trusted partner in shaping the future of work. 

The Ensign Group, a leader in the complex skilled nursing sector, has experienced 16% CAGR and increasing margins though a culture centered on decentralized leadership and entrepreneurial autonomy. Rather than top-down standardization, each facility operates as a self-managed business unit, with administrators empowered to make operational, staffing, and care decisions, which fosters a sense of ownership, enables faster decision-making, and produces superior patient outcomes. This approach also helps Ensign integrate acquisitions rapidly.

Modern Approach:
Platform Business Models

Digital platforms have emerged as a modern approach to Uncommon Growth, allowing businesses to observe, interact with, and provide value to customers throughout their choose-and-use journeys. Platform business models enable—and require—companies to supercharge their customer-obsession, innovation, and culture to accelerate growth: 

01
New levels of customer-obsession to build network effects while serving customer coalitions—extending beyond users to include sponsors, providers, creators, rule-makers, and promoters.   

02
New levels of innovation that provide interactive, AI-driven benefits as customers use—spanning workflows, content, and ecosystem connections (including loyalty programs).  

03
New levels of coordinated culture and operations for synchronized business—spanning insights, innovation, marketing, sales, and customer success.

When executed well, platform business models renew brand relevance, investor confidence, and competitive readiness—leading to uncommon growth.  

Uncommon Growth
in Action

Airbnb grew the core business for a decade after its founding in 2008, then shifted to beyond-the-core growth to remain uncommon. It leaped beyond lodging through Airbnb Local Experiences and Adventure Travel – perfect extensions for its world-wide travel community. 

It then diversified service formats to include empty vacation homes, long-term lodging, and temporary office spaces. It is now adding home services providers to its platform and empowering co-hosting teams to form and operate seamlessly – all while integrating AI to enhance every service. Airbnb’s creativity, customer focus, and has driven an 18% CAGR.

RB Global was founded in 1958 as Ritchie Brothers, a Canadian on-site auctioneer for industrial equipment. RB Global transformed first into a 1990’s online auction site, then unleashed Uncommon Growth by launching a multi-sided platform for industrial equipment lifecycle management.

Platform-powered innovations for equipment valuation, financing, parts procurement, and shipping create powerful network effects, with more inventory and services attracting more buyers and sellers. Greater transaction velocity, recurring service revenues, and cross-sell synergies helped the 60-year-old firm realize a three-year CAGR of 54%.

A Multi-Dimensional Action Plan for Uncommon Growth

Unlocking uncommon growth is as much about the “how” as the “what.” Combining new capabilities, cultural attributes (e.g., collaboration, creativity), and operational discipline around innovation can power companies to uncover opportunities and execute multi-dimensional growth strategies faster and more repeatably than in the past. 

To drive uncommon growth, companies must have:


Designing touchpoints based on deep understanding of and empathy with customer needs and regularly interacting with customers to continually gather feedback and behavioral insights


Ensuring consistency and integration across channels, with tailored experiences and offerings aligned to individual preferences with flexible features and modular options 


Quickly adapting products and services based on evolving market demands, and streamlined decision making via flat hierarchies, with clearly defined go/no-go milestones for advancing pilots and scaling experiments 


Cultivating a “test-and-learn” mindset and promoting entrepreneurial thinking and behaviors at every level of the organization, with teams encouraged to take risks, fail fast and apply lessons learned


Exploring multiple pathways to growth including product enhancements (e.g., subscriptions, bundles, personalization), new distribution options (e.g., partnerships, ecosystems, channel expansions) and tech-driven optimization (e.g., automated campaigns and buying and service processes) 


Defining tangible innovation goals and developing repeatable innovation capabilities as part of standard operations, with innovation viewed as a business-as-usual function (like finance and HR)

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achieve Uncommon Growth.

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Mike Leiser

Mike Leiser
Senior Partner,
Chief Transformation Officer

Jay Milliken

Jay Milliken
Senior Partner

Jackie Wilhelm
Associate Partner

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Seven Growth Moves for Marketers in Uncommon Times

Seven bold moves to help marketers lead through uncertainty and unlock uncommon growth—no matter the conditions.

You might be feeling the squeeze. 

From one side, there’s inflation, tariffs, planning whiplash and fragile consumer spending. From the other, it’s pressure to grow despite fewer resources and sharper scrutiny of every investment. 

And in the middle of it all? You—the Chief Marketing Officer. 

Meanwhile, AI is rewriting the rules of marketing—redefining what customers expect, changing how teams work, and fueling a new era of marketing mayhem. Our report, The Rise of the AI-Driven Consumer, puts it all out there.  

You’re driving near-term ROI and long-term relevance. Keeping teams energized through high-pressure deadlines. Working around and through the constraints of legacy systems and trying to figure out what emerging tech can do for your business. And doing it all with clarity, confidence and composure in the face of intense pressure to show measurable results. 

But here’s the truth: these uncommon times aren’t all that uncommon. Consider just the last few decades—global conflicts and cultural tensions, a global pandemic, the global financial crisis, and the dot-com crash and well, you get it. If anything’s predictable, it’s instability. 

Now take a breath. The good news is that we’ve been here before. And every era of uncertainty offers disproportionate growth on the other side—growth that sparks the next wave of disruptors. Need proof? Check your phone and you’ll see some of them: PayPal, Spotify, Uber, Calm. 

Our take? There’s no sense waiting for stability. It is better to start leaning into the goal of Uncommon Growth, no matter the macroeconomic conditions. Because that’s how Uncommon Growth happens. It’s breakthrough, repeatable, market-leading and category-shaping growth that’s rooted in clarity, relevance, and resilience—and not at all dependent on perfect conditions.  

So how do brands unlock Uncommon Growth in uncertain times? It starts with action—clear, purposeful, and well-timed. Because while growth is easier in the “easy times,” waiting for them is a losing game. The best brands don’t pause. They move with intent, agility, and confidence. And they’re rewarded for it.

We’ve outlined seven moves—shaped by our work with clients across market cycles—to help you grow not in spite of uncertainty, but because of it.

Driving Uncommon Growth 

Uncommon Move 1: Focus on Clarity, Not Certainty

You can’t predict what’s next. But you can make it clear where you stand—and where you want to go. 

  • What this means for the business: In moments of ambiguity, a clearly articulated purpose, brand positioning and strategic direction give your teams a relatable, sustainable north star. Clarity fosters faster and more confident decision-making. 
  • What this means for the people: Employees don’t expect perfect answers, but they do want to know the why behind the what. Transparency and consistency reduce anxiety, build trust and boosts engagement and commitment across teams  

Uncommon Move 2: Integrate Brand and Demand

This isn’t a time to pick sides—it’s a time to orchestrate both to work harder for you. 

  • What this means for the business: Resilient growth comes from integrating long-term brand equity with proven demand tactics that drive revenue in the near term. CMOs must bridge silos, build shared KPIs and optimize both engines in parallel. 
  • What this means for the people: Marketing teams often feel pulled in opposite directions. Help them see how their work contributes to a connected system, not just a single, standalone workstream. Our Brand and Demand playbook shows how you can make it happen.   

Uncommon Move 3: Invest in Experience—Even While Cutting Costs

The first instinct is often to trim the surface. But the right move is to protect what your customers and employees actually feel.  

  • What this means for the business: Prioritizing investments in experience lens means protecting the “moments that matter”—the key touchpoints that deliver real value and reinforce key brand equities. More intelligent prioritization builds loyalty without overspending. 
  • What this means for the people: Experience budget cuts often impact people first. Involve teams in reshaping the most meaningful experiences. Empower teams to simplify and refine, not just scale back. 

Uncommon Move 4: Double Down on Employee Engagement

In uncertain times, your people need more than direction—they need care, communication and a reason to believe. 

  • What this means for the business: Attrition is expensive and damaging in moments of instability. A strong employee valuable proposition, flexible policies and visible leadership help retain talent and maintain momentum. 
  • What this means for the people: As people navigate volatility in their own way, flexibility, empathy and purpose-aligned leadership help them stay motivated and committed. 

Uncommon Move 5: Plan for What-if, Not Just What is

When uncertainty is the norm, scenario planning can be an optimistic, forward-looking growth strategy—not a defensive risk exercise. 

  • What this means for the business: Smart CMOs are pressure-testing plans against multiple futures, so they can move quickly and pivot nimbly when conditions shift. Scenario planning isn’t about predicting perfectly. It’s about being ready. See our approach for Scenario Planning in Marketing.
  • What this means for the people: Your team doesn’t need certainty. They need to know there’s a plan. Exploring a range of scenarios can give people confidence and a sense of control—especially when everything’s in motion, all at once. 

Uncommon Move 6: Embrace the Unfamiliar

Creativity often thrives within limits—and uncertainty can open the door to your next great idea. 

  • What this means for the business: Disruption often creates whitespace—nimble teams can spot it and move first by testing new formats, tools, partnerships and messages.
  • What this means for the people: Trying something new can make people feel vulnerable. Normalize experimentation, celebrate smart risk-taking and make it safe to stretch. 

Uncommon Move 7: Experiment Small to Win Big

Quiet innovation becomes a superpower and speaks volumes in times of uncertainty. 

  • What this means for the business: In turbulent times, smart CMOs run small, fast experiments to reduce risk and build momentum. Innovation doesn’t need to be loud if it’s fast and focused.
  • What this means for the people: Testing new ideas can energize teams and clarify what works. Small wins start a virtuous circle of forward progress and rising confidence. 

Business Strategy

FINAL THOUGHTS

Even in the most turbulent times, some companies manage to achieve and sustain growth. Some even manage to unlock uncommon growth.  And while growth has always favored the bold, bold doesn’t mean reckless. It means clear thinking over knee-jerk reactions. Zooming out for the big picture. Acting with intention, clarity and confidence, not fear and hesitation. We help businesses and brands do that every day. Talk to us. 

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How to Build a Resilient Marketing Strategy with Scenario Planning

No one knows the future. But the best marketing leaders don’t hide–they plan for multiple outcomes. 

Why Scenario Planning Is Essential for Modern Marketers in 2025

Today’s marketers often feel like they’re operating in patchy fog. Is a recession looming, or will the economy stabilize into a soft landing? Will “do more with less” be the corporate mantra for just a few quarters, or indefinitely? And what about emerging disruptions—from AI advancements and geopolitical shifts to volatile consumer behaviors?

The practical answer remains: modern marketers must embrace scenario planning to build agile, resilient strategies.

Scenario planning works. While marketing leaders and CMOs can’t predict the future, they can, and must, prepare for a range of potential outcomes.

The disruptions of the early 2020s underscored the importance of scenario planning. While few could have precisely forecasted events like a global pandemic or today’s rapid technology shifts, the companies that pivoted quickly—whether in media channels, messaging strategies, or customer experiences—came out ahead. For example, at Prophet, we advised a client to shift from out-of-home advertising to digital channels almost overnight, and counseled another to pivot from in-person incentives to free shipping and virtual experiences. Scenario planning workshops gave our clients the ability to anticipate these shifts and act nimbly, not reactively.

Today, uncertainty is a given, not a glitch. Markets, technologies, customer expectations, and competitive landscapes are evolving faster than ever. Scenario planning has evolved into a crucial strategic muscle that can mean the difference between surviving and thriving when new curveballs come.

Scenario Planning 3.0: A Modern Approach 

No one has a crystal ball. That’s why scenario planning has been around for ages. But marketing leaders who regularly scenario plan are better equipped to face ever-changing circumstances and drive more effective, efficient and resilient marketing plans.    

We used this approach to help Scoperta! launch its brand into the market with a buzz-worthy digital strategy. Our team brainstormed, deliberated and developed proactive solutions to ensure the business was prepared for scenarios as diverse as low site traffic, site traffic that didn’t convert, and even traffic that was converting but perhaps needed to spend more per transaction.    

We knew what we would do for each of these scenarios, even if we didn’t need to do it. And because we prepared for these potential outcomes from the onset, we were also better positioned to optimize the campaign for success.    

Modern scenario planning allows companies to proactively address scenarios that may jeopardize the ability to reach any prioritized goal. And each step of the scenario-planning approach leads to strategic outcomes that will help the marketing strategy thrive despite uncertainty.  

Three Steps to Take When Scenario Planning Your Next Marketing Strategy 

Think of scenario planning as a game. We developed a game board to help our clients develop effective scenario plans to help workshop specific scenarios and prepare for potential outcomes.

Here are three steps to take when scenario planning your next marketing initiative: 

1. Draft possible Scenarios for an Initial Discussion 

We recommend defining a short list of critical priorities for a specific marketing initiative rather than trying to scenario plan for every single objective. To ensure you are tapping into the right preferences, you should collaborate with a cross-disciplinary team of stakeholders across marketing, sales, customer experience, operations and product.   

Some common considerations include:    

  • Low site traffic or site traffic declining    
  • Site traffic is not converting to sales   
  • Sales are resulting in low revenue    
  • Slow velocity to conversion    
  • Low customer engagement    
  • Lack of return customers    
  • Smaller size or value in shopping carts    

2. Add and Prioritize ideas Across Levers to Address Scenarios 

Once you have identified your key priorities, address the potential levers you can pull. Some examples for marketers include:    

  • What would happen if we increased or shifted media spending?   
  • If we changed the messaging, would that improve customer engagement?  
  • Might we offer audiences different or more personalized incentives and offers?  
  • Would a shift in loyalty and rewards make a difference?   
  • Could we consider other channels, working with new influencers or product aggregators?  
  • How about new content and social strategies?   
  • Would increasing the number of touchpoints improve lead nurturing? 

3. Codify and Socialize the Contingency Plan 

How these initial plans are shared throughout the organization is essential. But it doesn’t stop there.  Additional sessions are often needed to follow up on hot topics and assign owners to chosen levers.   

Next, you should schedule a contingency planning session at the end of an agreed-upon time frame to evaluate performance data to date. Leaders might integrate the scenario decision process into regular performance reporting sessions, similar to how leaders integrate optimization sessions in conventional campaign management.   

During this phase of the scenario planning process, internal communication channels become critical tools. It’s essential to ensure all stakeholders, from supply chain partners to investors, are current on pivot-ready strategies.   

FINAL THOUGHTS

While uncertainty is a given, modern marketing leaders are not leaving their success to luck. By using thoughtful scenario planning, they’re constructing more resilient marketing plans with various responses to meet multiple realities. And if and when rapid changes come, they’ll know what to do–or at least what to try–to deliver on marketing goals. 

Are you looking for an expert to help you develop your organization’s scenario plans? Contact us today. 

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Summary

Available May 6 – David Aaker returns with a timely and essential second edition of Aaker on Branding, 11 years after the original release. As today’s marketing landscape becomes more dynamic, disruptive, and digitally driven, Aaker delivers new insights to help leaders build, communicate and scale strong brands across categories. 

In Aaker on Branding: Second Edition, Aaker introduces the “5B’s of Branding,” a powerful framework designed to help brands stand out in crowded, ever-changing markets. With fresh case studies, brand-building strategies and practical tools, this edition is essential reading for anyone navigating the modern marketing world and aiming to lead with impact. 

This book distills decades of Aaker’s work, covering brand strategy, portfolio management and execution. Updated with seven new chapters on brand communities, disruptive innovation and the 5Bs—this revised edition is a must-have for brand builders seeking to drive uncommon growth. 

Highlights 

  • New “5B’s of Branding” framework for brand-led growth 
  • Modern brand-building strategies for a digital, socially connected world 
  • Updated cases and insights from leading global brands 
  • Guidance for marketers at every stage—from CMOs to managers 
  • Lessons on building brand platforms that drive strategy and inspire culture 

Endorsements

“David Aaker is one of my favorite brand authorities because he understands that the modern brand is an asset that should create value and drive strategy for corporations. His latest treatise is brand dynamite.”

Beth Comstock
Brand Strategist and Former CMO of GE

“This updated edition reminds us that branding is more important than ever. With Aaker’s sharp thinking and timely insights, marketers will find the tools they need to lead with confidence.”

Antonio Lucio
Former CMO of Facebook and HP

About the Author 

David Aaker is the Vice Chairman of Prophet and Professor Emeritus at the Berkeley Haas School of Business. Named the “Father of Modern Branding” by Phil Kotler, he is the author of 18 books and over 120 articles on branding and marketing. Aaker has been recognized as one of the world’s top business thinkers, and his work has been cited more than 160,000 times. His books have sold over one million copies worldwide and shaped how generations of marketers think about brand strategy. 

Connect 

Want to feature David Aaker on your podcast, at your event or in your publication? Connect with us.

Explore how David and Prophet can help your organization unlock brand-led growth through modern frameworks and signature strategies. 

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Building a Strong CEO Brand: Strategies for Elevating Thought Leadership 

A CEO’s personal brand isn’t just about visibility—it’s a strategic driver of trust, differentiation and long-term business growth. 

The Power of a CEO’s Personal Brand 

In today’s business landscape, a CEO’s personal brand is more than just a reflection of their leadership—it’s a strategic asset that influences company success, investor confidence and market differentiation. Thought leadership, when effectively leveraged, can enhance a CEO’s authority, build trust with key audiences and unlock new business opportunities. 

Recent studies reinforce this trend. According to PR firm APCO Worldwide, 77% of adults say a CEO’s reputation impacts their willingness to invest in a company. Another study by Harris Poll found that investment in CEO thought leadership yielded a 14x ROI. These insights highlight the growing importance of personal branding—not just for Fortune 100 executives, but for leaders across industries looking to drive uncommon growth. 

Why a Strong CEO Brand Matters 

At Prophet, we’ve successfully implemented thought leadership strategies for C-suite leaders across industries, from commercial property insurance to data management firms. Our work has demonstrated that a well-crafted CEO brand can: 

  • Enhance brand authority and credibility 
  • Strengthen customer and investor relationships 
  • Attract and retain top talent 
  • Differentiate the company in a competitive marketplace 
  • Maintain brand visibility, particularly in times of economic uncertainty 

Unlocking Thought Leadership Potential 

A CEO’s personal brand should complement existing brand and marketing efforts while creating an authentic and compelling leadership presence. The CEO brand should complement the organization’s brand either through direct alignment or through complementary attributes to create a consistent presence in the market. Thought leadership provides CEOs with a platform to share their unique perspectives, positioning their company as a category leader and increasing market influence. During periods of market volatility, a visible and confident CEO can reinforce stakeholder trust and sustain brand momentum. 

The Action Plan for Thought Leadership Development 

Developing a CEO’s thought leadership requires a structured, multi-step approach. Below are key actions to take: 

1. Audit Current Presence & Study Industry Leaders 

Begin by assessing the CEO’s current digital footprint, media presence and industry influence. Analyze social media activity, press coverage and public speaking engagements to identify strengths and areas for improvement. Comparing against other industry leaders can provide useful benchmarks and help an executive choose the right archetype that both fits their style and what the business needs.  

2. Define Key Topics, Audiences and Channels 

Create themes with key stakeholders that align with the company’s vision and resonate with target audiences. Prioritize topics based on relevance, impact and alignment with the CEO’s expertise. Identify key audiences—employees, clients, investors and media—and select the most effective channels for engagement (social media, press, events, etc.). Topics may arise that are important but that better suit another voice in the C-suite. 

3. Develop an Actionable Strategy and Timeline 

Integrate thought leadership into the broader marketing and PR strategy. Outline content deliverables such as blog posts, op-eds, LinkedIn articles, keynote speeches and videos. Assign responsibilities and set timelines to ensure consistent execution and alignment with the organization’s goals. 

4. Implement a 12-Month Activation Plan 

A structured rollout is essential for building momentum. Here’s a sample quarterly roadmap: 

  • Q1: Strengthen online presence by increasing social media engagement and publishing industry insights. 
  • Q2: Secure media placements, guest articles and interviews to establish credibility. 
  • Q3: Obtain speaking opportunities at industry events and participate in thought leadership panels. 
  • Q4: Analyze performance, refine the strategy and plan for the upcoming year. 

Where Thought Leadership Lives: Key Channels 

The effectiveness of a CEO’s thought leadership depends on selecting the right platforms for engagement: 

  • Social Media: LinkedIn remains the most effective channel for executive thought leadership, while platforms like Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, YouTube and BlueSky can provide additional reach depending on the industry. 
  • Media & Press: Securing articles and interviews in reputable industry publications and mainstream outlets can amplify the CEO’s voice. Your PR firm can help your leader also be a go-to for certain areas of expertise. 
  • Speaking Engagements: Conferences, podcasts and webinars allow CEOs to showcase expertise and connect with peers. 
  • Internal Communications: Engaging employees through internal messaging channels strengthens company culture and reinforces leadership. 

The Long-Term Impact of a Strong CEO Brand 

A well-executed thought leadership strategy builds sustained momentum, driving long-term brand awareness, credibility and market differentiation. By proactively managing their personal brand, CEOs can steer their organizations through uncertainty, foster trust with stakeholders and drive meaningful growth. Ultimately, a visible and authentic CEO presence is a powerful tool for maintaining competitive advantage in today’s fast-evolving business environment. 

Brand Building

FINAL THOUGHTS

“Uncommon Growth” is what we define as high-impact, sustainable growth that is smarter, faster, more human and more actionable. Executive thought leadership is another lever to help enterprises of all sizes achieve it. 

Talk to us about building your executive team’s thought leadership strategy.  

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The Brand and Demand Love Story: Unlocking 2025 Growth in Southeast Asia

Strong relationships rely on both types of marketing to power exceptional growth.

Consumers in Southeast Asia (SEA) are changing daily, requiring brands to undergo rapid transformation to stay relevant. Leading companies are using data and AI to deliver hyper-personalized experiences to the region’s young, tech-savvy consumers. They are embracing sustainability to reflect consumer values.  

In this dynamic interplay between consumer expectations and tech innovation, these innovative companies are setting the stage for a new era of marketing. Exceptional marketing teams know they must integrate brand and demand throughout the entire customer journey in ways that mutually reinforce one another to drive growth.  

(Enlarge)

Brand-led experiences encourage exploration and advocacy, creating long-term relationships. Demand-led initiatives help customers use products and services most fully and keep the brand voice and promise front and center. In short, brand changes perceptions. And demand alters behavior. Both are vital. And when they are interwoven at each stage of the customer’s journey—from consideration, purchase and onboarding—organizations are more likely to find success. 

Prophet’s latest research has unveiled the key actions that winning companies across the world have in common, from which we identified four core principles that are especially important in SEA.  

Adapt Quickly: Embrace Experimentation with a Growth Mindset 

The digital savviness of SEA’s young consumers is growing and changing so fast that marketers can barely keep up. Companies are exploring new technologies more quickly, scaling what works and discarding what doesn’t.  

Companies know it’s not enough to be an early adopter – they want to be ahead of the curve. They need to codify an experimental approach to new channels and tactics.  

While not all marketers do this well, Prophet’s latest research has found clear trends among the most successful marketing organizations. Compared to companies that lag the average, these higher-achieving CMOs are courageous, lifelong learners, with 82% saying they are willing to try new processes, compared to 61% of CMOs from less successful firms. They are at ease leading teams with people with more expertise, at 80% versus 64%. And they are far more likely—71% versus 48%—to say they support their teams in experimentation, even through failures. 

Shopee is one of the region’s best examples of adaptability. This innovative e-commerce online platform provides customers easy, secure and fast online shopping. It keeps up with young people by consistently adapting to the region’s evolving e-commerce landscape by swiftly incorporating gamification and fintech services. For instance, Shopee has effectively integrated social commerce features like Shopee Live which allows sellers to showcase products in livestreams and enables direct interaction with buyers, creating an immersive shopping experience and accelerating purchasing decisions. Shopee Live played a crucial role in Malaysia and Thailand’s 9.9 Super Shopping Day, boosting sales by over 6x. 

However, this growth couldn’t happen without a concerted integration of brand and demand. Long-term brand visions are built with consistent brand-building activities in its memorable marketing campaigns. Shopee’s annual 9.9 Super Shopping Day campaign embodies its core values of simplicity, joy and community, building strong brand recognition and excitement. With a brand DNA that is centred on fun, Shopee is able to deliver engaging experiences to continuously drive demand, foster loyalty and sustain growth.  

Increase Customer-Centricity: Data is the Engine 

Many organizations are rich in data. But who “owns” it and how efficiently that data is shared and used makes all the difference. In the most successful organizations, the marketing team is also the most customer-obsessed. They are responsible for customer insights and data, utilizing them to better inform brand and demand efforts – from reinforcing positioning and value propositions, targeting and segmentation, to building a robust loyalty program. 

In companies that most effectively balance brand and demand, customer data and insights are tied to measurable business outcomes.  

DBS Bank, based in Singapore and operating in 19 markets across Asia, blends a customer-centric approach with data-driven personalization and seamless brand-demand integration. Its latest brand campaign, “Trust your spark,” is a brand effort that humanizes banking through real-life stories, evoking emotion and strengthening connections. Using YouTube Instant Reserve, DBS Bank personalizes content with audience interests—food lovers see ads on reducing food waste—enhancing engagement. Using first-party data from Google’s Analytics 360, the bank tracks customer journeys, optimizing ad spend and re-engaging audiences effectively. This data-driven strategy fuels measurable impact, with 15% of new business-related loans and SME products originating from Sparks viewers. With these insights, DBS Bank can make data-driven decisions to optimize future brand campaigns, ensuring its marketing efforts resonates emotionally while driving tangible business results. 

Integrate Short-Term Tech Wins with Long-Term Brand Building 

The rise of tech-enabled demand-generation tactics is reshaping marketing across the region. From predictive analytics and automation to real-time personalization, companies are leveraging technology to drive immediate customer acquisition and conversion at unprecedented speed. According to the e-Conomy SEA 2024 report, most organizations in the region can transition from an initial idea to execution in just six months, with 70% reporting a favourable return on investment (ROI) attributable to GenAI workflows within a year of implementation. 

While these tools accelerate short-term wins, brands must resist the temptation to prioritize quick gains at the expense of long-term brand building. Brand and demand cannot be seen as trade-offs, but as complementary forces. Prophet’s research found that the most successful leaders are those who confidently measure and manage the long and short-term simultaneously. In our study, 84% of marketers who are top performers can manage short-term and long-term KPIs effectively, compared to only 57% of all respondents. The key is “bothism”—embracing the power of tech-driven growth while making sustained investments in brand building. 

POSB Bank, a subsidiary of DBS Bank in Singapore, exemplifies the “bothism” approach by integrating tech-enabled demand generation with brand building in its recent “Treat Yourself Right” campaign. Using AI-powered age-morphing visuals, POSB Bank crafted deeply personal and relatable narratives that illustrate the evolving financial needs of Singaporeans over time. This reinforces POSB Bank’s position as a lifelong financial partner, fostering stronger brand affinity.  

Shangri-La Circle, a five-star luxury hotel brand’s loyalty program in Asia, is pioneering the future of hospitality with its technology by driving immediate operational efficiencies while simultaneously investing in initiatives that enhance the guest experience and build long-term brand loyalty. Shangri-La leverages advanced technology, including NeXRobot for contactless in-room service, a WeChat Mini Program for seamless guest requests and a smart check-in system to reduce staff workload. At the same time, a user-centric booking experience and an AI-powered local marketing platform help personalize guest interactions, optimize customer journeys, and strengthen brand loyalty across its global network. These show that brands can integrate technology seamlessly with the brand experience, ensuring that short-term wins and long-term brand equity coexist in a modern marketing strategy. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

True integration of brand and demand is more than a budget split—it’s about weaving both strategies into a seamless customer journey. By balancing logic and creativity, and fostering a culture of respect and trust, businesses in SEA can unlock exceptional growth and long-term relevance. 

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Three Growth Engineering Tactics to Enhance the Private Equity Playbook

Unlock value beyond the deal through storytelling, go-to-market optimization and culture.

2024 marked an interesting but challenging year in PE. According to Pitchbook, U.S. firms closed 46 first-time funds, raising $9.2 billion—a significant drop from $21.5 billion across 121 funds in 2023. PE also encountered sustained headwinds on entry with the cost of leverage up to 10% in 2024 vs. 5% in 2022. 

As PE combats a few tough years, green shoots are starting to emerge. PE exits in 2024 were at $902 billion compared to $754 billion in 2023, according to Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. This is still well below pandemic-era highs but leaves renewed optimism for 2025. 

This stalled deal activity has made clear that while private equity (PE) firms have mastered the art of financial engineering, operational efficiencies, and strategic acquisitions, today’s PE environment requires an expanded toolkit of revenue and growth engineering to unlock value. One that specifically focuses on unlocking the true potential of a well-defined and executed CMO or Growth Officer agenda post-deal.   

What stands out in Prophet’s experience working with a network of trusted PE partners and their portfolio companies is the power of value unlock potential beyond the deal. Specifically, bringing in a growth-oriented playbook alongside an operational and financial engineering one that focuses on four targeted actions with seismic potential to accelerate time to value. 

Crafting a Compelling and Coherent Story of Value: Rethink Your Company’s Identity to act as a Greater Value Multiplier 

Alongside operational and financial levers, the impact of a strong story of value and brand positioning can have on strengthening enterprise valuation cannot be understated. We’ve seen investor valuation models shift towards more forward-leaning expectations and storytelling. A strong story of value is an essential foundation in supporting the brand and can help reduce customer churn, enable premium pricing and attract top talent.  

The story of value has two parts: the corporate story, which is investor-focused and catalyzes leadership and business value, and the brand story, which is customer-facing and drives awareness and customer consideration and retention. 

These all work together as important signals to a much broader set of stakeholders, ultimately enhancing exit appeal to strategic buyers or IPO markets. A well-structured brand system should go beyond a creative exercise to crystallize business ambition and serve as the essential wrapper that catalyzes a new growth thesis. The creative strength of the work is also not trivial; new strategies can fall flat or get lost in old design systems and messages. 

It is essential to nail the blend of both stories to create a symbiotic relationship that enhances overall enterprise value. 

Driving a Customer-Led and Commercially Minded Go-To-Market Reconfiguration: Fix the Leaky Funnels and Unlock New Sources of Revenue 

Companies may risk struggling with stagnant growth, inefficient go-to-market strategies and underperforming sales motions post-acquisition. Partially changing leadership through the transition of ownership can risk decelerating progress in the short term. Post-investment, the primary goal is to avoid harming existing businesses and commercial momentum while reorganizing and integrating new technologies and products. 

However, changing leadership creates new opportunities to get closer to customers and the marketplace, uncover new insights and revisit outdated go-to-market processes by re-engineering the experience from first principles. This allows the organization to realign its brand, marketing and sales tactics in a way that can improve conversion, expand share of wallet and shorten sales cycles. 

The real unlock is creating a new or improved system that successfully drives leads and follows them through an improved sales channel, enhancing both demand generation and the sales process. These types of transactions can also serve as welcoming opportunities to deliberately engage with customers more broadly. Specifically, conversations that expand the frame of reference of the new entity and open opportunities to deepen relationships or cross sell more effectively. Finding new processes for this that can scale in broader roll-ups can accelerate the time to exit for portfolio companies.  

Using Culture as a Catalyst to Power Change: Get People to See, Believe and Live the Change 

When PE firms acquire a company, there’s often a disconnect between leadership priorities, business strategy, organizational culture and the financial growth plan. Change is expected and constant during these transitions but is often not well communicated or orchestrated. New leaders are brought in to drive the change but need to lean heavily on legacy teams, especially in the beginning.  

The HR function is often undervalued, but culture is critical at deal time. Building a unified culture accelerates integration and leverages an energized organization to achieve objectives. Post-deal, the focus shifts to attracting and retaining the right talent for the company’s vision. Highlighting both the initial integration and ongoing talent strategy is essential. A well thought out story of value and brand from empowered CMO and/or Growth Officers should be deliberately activated internally to shift employee culture to drive impact externally.   

Where’s Your Playbook? 

Prophet understands the essential role of revenue engineering for PE value creation—and more importantly, how to define and accelerate the right company efforts to gain a competitive edge in an increasingly complex valuation market. We routinely see PE firms with great playbooks and partners for rapid due diligence going into a deal that outlines strategic routes and assessments of where to play post-deal along with the risks associated with the moves.  

However, post-acquisition can be the ideal time to bring in a growth-led “think and build” partner capable of accelerating the CMO or Growth Officer agenda to move quickly to execute how-to-win strategies that unpack new customer insights, depict a more coherent story of value, develop a refreshed identity, reimagine new customer experiences and power a renewed sense of culture. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Whether taking a controlling investment, executing a roll-up, carve-out, or a full-on turnaround, please contact us to learn more about how we can help. 

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The Multiplier Effect: How Brands Unleash Full-Funnel Growth

New research shows how integrating brand and performance marketing drives better outcomes.

For more than a decade, performance marketing has claimed an outsized share of CMO attention—and budget. But new research from The Multiplier Effect: A CMO’s Guide to Brand Building in the Performance Era reveals a deeper truth: the most powerful results come not from performance or brand alone, but from a smart, integrated approach that connects the two. 

Developed in collaboration with WARC, Analytic Partners, BERA and System1, this landmark report offers one of the clearest cases yet for full-funnel marketing—Prophet is proud to have played a central role in bringing it to life. Through our work designing and executing brand and demand strategies that deliver measurable business impact for our clients, we know that when brand and performance work together, growth multiplies. 

The Myth of the Performance-Only Playbook 

The research confronts a long-standing myth: that brand marketing can’t deliver provable business results. The data tells a different story: 

  • Brand marketing alone outperforms performance marketing in ROI. 
  • When brand and performance efforts are combined, the return on investment increases by an extraordinary 90%. 
  • High brand awareness makes performance campaigns more effective at the bottom of the funnel. 
  • Stronger brands enjoy greater pricing power—improving profitability, not just reach. In fact, a 1% increase in brand differentiation and relevance drives a 0.6% lift in pricing power. 

These insights are particularly important in categories where consideration cycles are long. In B2B, for example, just 5% of buyers are in-market at any given time. Performance tactics focused only on in-market buyers will always miss the majority of the audience. Investing in brand ensures you’re influencing choice long before a prospect raises their hand. 

Why CMOs Need a New Approach 

The distinction between brand and performance marketing is increasingly outdated—and, as the report shows, costly. Over-prioritizing performance at the expense of brand leads to a “performance penalty,” where revenue returns can drop between 20% and 50%. The solution? A more balanced and integrated investment strategy: 

  • CMOs should allocate at least 30% of marketing spend to equity-driving work, with 40–60% considered best practice. 
  • Marketers need to shift from siloed brand and performance teams to integrated planning, aligning campaigns around full-funnel creative platforms. 
  • Budgets should account for the “media multiplier”—the longer-term value of media investments—which can range from 1.1x to 2x, depending on the channel. 
  •  Have patience—but not that much… while performance marketing might show an initial bump in sales, within 90 days, 50% of the brand impact will be realized 

Finally, marketers need the tools to measure what really matters. The report encourages building a “measurement stack” that tracks both short- and long-term impact—from immediate campaign returns to effects on pricing, preference, and brand equity. 

How to Win Across the Funnel 

At Prophet, we’ve long believed that sustainable, uncommon growth comes from integrating brand and demand. That’s why we help CMOs and marketing teams not only define their brand’s purpose and positioning—but also bring it to market through strategies that drive awareness, conversion, and loyalty. 

Our work with clients like PENN Entertainment, FM, Inspira Financial and Curative demonstrates how a full-funnel approach pays off: 

  • For Inspira Financial, we led a full rebrand from Millennium Trust, delivering everything from strategic foundations to campaign creative and media execution. 
  • For Curative, an innovative health insurance challenger, we partnered across two phases: building the brand and go-to-market story, then developing a high-performance ABM demand strategy. The result? Record-breaking mid- and lower-funnel engagement and rapid customer growth. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Multiplier Effect is more than a research study—it’s a roadmap for how modern marketing leaders can unlock the next wave of growth. At Prophet, we help our clients build strong, distinctive brands and connect them to performance strategies that convert. 

If you’re ready to rethink your marketing model and activate a strategy that delivers strong brands and connects that to growth across the funnel—we’re here to help. 

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Proceed With Caution

Prophet’s 2024 Corporate Earnings summary, with 2025 implications.

2024 came in like a lion, with optimism and a return-to-growth mandate across sectors despite interest rate uncertainty and global unrest. After a challenging 2022 and 2023, consumers and companies resumed spending. Markets bounced back. In fact, in our 2024 summary, “Year of Resilience,” companies researched saw a 85% year-over-year net income increase across all the companies and sectors analyzed.

With new policies and a more favorable M&A environment, companies saw promise for 2025. And so did we as we analyzed year-end earnings reports of more than 50 of the world’s largest, fastest-growing and most relevant companies.

Our goal was straightforward: understand how leaders experienced the highs and lows of 2024 and uncover implications for 2025. As we listened and researched, most companies still see growth opportunities but CEOs and CFOs understand the need to remain vigilant—cautiously monitoring hypercomplex economic challenges in real time.

With that in mind, first, we’ll look back at the 2024 cross-company and industry drivers of growth as well as a few of the issues that kept leaders up at night. Then, we’ll look at what that might mean for 2025.

A Relentless Drive to Unlock Uncommon Growth 

Last year, companies around the globe made confident and at times uncommon growth moves. Some invested in new customers. Netflix, for example, gained 19 million paying users by cracking down on subscription sharing and Airbnb invested $250 million to expand its core app usage. Others explored new territories. AB InBev poured millions of dollars into nonalcoholic brewing technology and Uber and Waymo expanded their autonomous ride-hailing offerings to more cities. In sustainable growth, Hyundai launched its “HTWO” brand to represent its world-leading hydrogen fuel cell system. The commitment to innovation reflects a broader mindset, well expressed by Ford CEO Jim Farley: “Our relentless focus on executing the Ford+ plan has delivered strong results, positioning us well for continued growth in 2025 and beyond.”

Transitioning to M&A, although it was a more muted landscape in 2024, we saw several strategic deals that signaled uncommon growth opportunities, including Exxon Mobil’s acquisition of Pioneer, Capital One’s pending acquisition of Discover that aims to redefine its role in the financial ecosystem and Verizon’s acquisition of Frontier Fiber, the largest pure-play fiber internet provider in the U.S.

As we move through 2025, leaders appear to be swinging big in innovation, market expansion and M&A as many expect their competitors will be quieter due to market uncertainty. Relative to M&A, exciting times are ahead with an estimated global deal value reaching $3.5 trillion. According to Morgan Stanley CFO Sharon Yeshaya, “This will not just be a blip on the radar, as M&A pipelines remain healthy and diversified.”

A Pivot to Leveraging AI as a Commercial Building Block 

From “talking about AI” to “scaling AI” to “AI as a commercial driver of success,” the evolution of artificial intelligence since the early 2020s is striking. Beyond boosting efficiency, AI is being harnessed as a business engine. Tech giants, as expected, are broadcasting the generative AI enhancement of their product lines, providing relevant and tangible benefits—Apple Intelligence, Meta Glasses, Amazon’s Alexa+ and Tesla FSD cars, to name just a few. Google CEO Sundar Pichai stayed true to this trend, stating, “Scaling Gemini on the consumer side will be our biggest focus next year.”

Beyond the tech sector, other market leaders are also pushing AI-driven innovation. Chevron is utilizing its novel FaultAssist program to forecast disaster prevention. Pfizer is propelling AI-powered drug discovery and optimization of its back-end processes, enabling faster medication deployment. Lyft is using AI for driver support and troubleshooting, estimating a total of 28,000 hours saved in support time.

Amid the widespread and ongoing AI acceleration to date, leaders are anxious to push their AI agendas forward in 2025 while recognizing the need to clarify what their businesses truly need—both operationally and commercially. For instance, Delta CEO Ed Bastian is taking a more deliberate approach, ensuring alignment between core operations and the brand’s overall promise: “[Our] focus on AI is to learn, and to listen, and to make certain that we’re ready before we jump in with both feet.”

An Obsession with Being Market Back and Customer-Centered 

Consumers are focusing on simplicity and speed. Fueled by what Accenture calls the “impatience economy,” they are siding with brands that are quick to market and bespoke in their offerings. From the fastest shipping to fast fashion, brands like Amazon and Zara are first in line. Fortive CEO James Lico shared, “The reason for [their] five-year track record of success is a commitment to their Fortive Business System … [which] helps identify unmet customer needs, develop new products and get them to market faster.”

But speed has its costs such as sustainability. A key focus of last year’s report, sustainability appears to have become more of a nice-to-have than a differentiator for 2025. Instead, consumers are prioritizing other areas and companies are following suit. For one, getting healthier, as personal health brands like Hims & Hers and Novo Nordisk are expanding with GLP-1 weight loss medications. Second, consumers continue to seek out unique experiences. Brands like Travel + Leisure and Mastercard are already benefiting from increased interest in tourism and more cross-border payments (up 24% year over year for the credit card company) and Marriott is growing its room count, adding 123,000 rooms in 2024.

Moving forward into 2025, we expect to see more innovation in the name of speed—from production to shipping to service models—as well as an effort to leverage customer data and feedback to further tailor offerings to meet unmet needs. Across offerings we also see an opportunity for more industries to get in on the health and overall self-betterment craze. As we touched on with AB InBev’s shift to nonalcoholic, we believe there’s room to succeed outside the obvious health-centric sectors.

A Desire to get the Employee Value Exchange Right 

Today, companies’ policies around remote work continue to evolve. Firms with competitive hiring practices like JPMorgan are more comfortable taking a firm stance on return-to-office mandates while tech giants Apple and Microsoft have remained committed to hybrid policies. And in places where the industry is split, unhappy employees are speaking out. For example, when AT&T adopted a strict return-to-office policy, it sparked employee backlash on social media allowing Verizon to capitalize by recruiting AT&T employees with hybrid and remote offers.

The ongoing discourse around DEI in the workplace has further complicated the employer-employee value exchange, as has the perceived role AI will play in the workplace, tied to job displacement and uncertainties about adapting and pushback against AI adoption.

As highlighted in our research, these debates only intensify tension in the job market as talent shortages persist across industries. As the population ages, CEOs are expecting labor market shifts, with a large population of skilled laborers beginning to retire, leaving a void of qualified talent. In health care, CVS is making strides to address pharmacist shortages. In the aviation industry, American Airlines and United both paused hiring due to the high cost of training and aircraft shortages, in part due to Boeing’s departing engineers. On the positive side, Delta celebrated its profit-sharing day, distributing $1.4 billion to its employees promoting corporate culture.

A quarter into 2025, it’s clear that companies need to take a fresh look at their employee value proposition, their employee experience and what it will take to recruit and retain top talent.

A Strong Belief that Resiliency and Agility are now Operational Cornerstones 

On a macro level, the global economy’s resilience has continued to be put to the test: interest rate debates, high inflation and geopolitical conditions created uncertainty, yet unemployment remained low and consumer spending persisted.

2024 proved to be a period of optimistic resilience. Eastman Chemical was hit by weak end-market demand, fluctuation in raw material prices and regulatory pressure. Yet, through innovation and the adoption of advanced technologies, it found ways to reach its earnings goals. Lockheed Martin faced supply chain disruptions and high material costs but expanded its engineering manufacturing facilities to meet rising demand. On the other hand, Exxon Mobil and Boeing felt the squeeze of fluctuating demand and material prices, leading to dips in net income—a reminder that even industry titans must continuously adapt.

Now, in 2025, some companies are demonstrating the importance of adaptability under the policies of the new administration to drive success. Apple plans to invest $500 billion to move a manufacturing facility from Mexico to Texas, avoiding the effects of cross-border tariffs. Amazon similarly continues to invest in data centers across the U.S.

With shifting economic policies, evolving regulatory landscapes and global market fluctuations, the true impact of these bold investments remains uncertain. As companies navigate this unpredictable environment, their ability to showcase cautious resilience will define their success in 2025 and beyond.

Acknowledgments: Bridget Mitchell, Hannah Anderson, Mary Kovacs and Samuel Pinchback.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It is evident that the navigation, success and resiliency of the companies we studied will continue to look different in 2025 compared to 2024. As the year progresses, companies will aspire to achieve positive outcomes; however, as variability remains high, it is imperative to err on the side of adaptability and to continue to proceed with caution. 

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