Key Tips to Scale Your Startup from Google's Marketing Exec

Marvin Chow is one heck of a guy. From his professional accomplishments such as marketing, innovation and leadership positions at Nike, Nickelodean across US and Asia, to his current work at Google, overseeing he oversees some of their largest and most strategic products and technologies, including Search, the Google Assistant, Maps, Chrome, Photos, Gmail and AI/Machine Learning, to his involvement in the community, being a proud of Asian heritage and painting the way for future generations.

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I had a special opportunity to connect with Marvin, who is also an advisor to Gradient Ventures, Google's Artificial Intelligence (AI) and discuss the importance of brand and here is what I learned:

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"Brand is not a logo or a name -- it's a shortcut to a promise of what your company will consistently deliver" Marvin Chow, VP of Marketing at Google.

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Most companies when they think of a brand they think of a look, logo, image, icon or a name with the primary goal of sticking that logo and/or name on their website, Linkedin profile or email signature. But brand is so much more than that - at the core brand is what your company stands for - that could be the way you interact with your customers, company culture, the people and the way they represent you to everything in between. As companies think about growth, it is important to have a strong brand that resonates with which customers, community, employees and stakeholders.

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“Brand is like investing in a house, it compounds over time: As you layer brand into your operations, conversion rates go up across the funnel. Performance marketing is like paying rent, it stops generating value as soon as you stop paying." Marvin Chow, VP of Marketing at Google.

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In today's data-and-ROI-driven ecosystem, everything is measurable and folks want to see 10x ROI on all activities, including brand. To Marvin's point, brand is not performance marketing and thus shouldn't be measured as such. Brand is a long-term investment into your company's perception in the minds of your customers, employees and investors.  That is a long-term process not a Q1 campaign with MQLs, Opps, or revenue results.

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Ultimately, folks should pivot the lens through which they view and understand the importance of brand. If you get it right, think of Google, Nike, Apple, etc., the benefits are beyond incredible. Think and invest in brand in long-term and you will see the results.