Let that sink in. One of the most impressive investment returns going, and they’re cutting it anyway.
That’s not a political comment. It’s an economic one. Because if something with a clearly measurable and positive ROI like R&D isn’t safe, what chance does branding have – an industry still struggling to prove its value beyond the subjective?
The ROI Double Standard
There’s a strange double standard at play. In sectors like R&D, ROI is measured in real terms: new patents, technologies, industries. It takes time, but the returns are proven. In branding and design, ROI is less visible, often indirect, and never guaranteed. But here’s the thing: lack of certainty isn’t the same as lack of value. Instead of being viewed as a strategic investment like R&D, brand spend is too often seen as a line-item indulgence. A nice-to-have, not a must-do.
That’s not to say there aren’t people fighting to change this. Organisations like the Design Business Association (DBA) have long championed the commercial impact of design. Their work (especially through the Design Effectiveness Awards) provides a compelling case for the tangible value great design can deliver. These awards are often strongest when effectiveness is clear-cut, for example, how a new piece of packaging impacts sales. But when the work is more strategic or abstract – evolving a brand’s architecture, redefining values, or establishing naming conventions – the proof becomes slower, subtler, and harder to pin down. That doesn’t make it any less valuable. But it does make it harder to sell to the sceptics.
Short-Termism: The Real Enemy
The deeper issue isn’t branding’s failure to prove its worth. It’s the system’s obsession with short-term results. Even R&D, with its robust metrics, isn’t fast enough to survive quarterly thinking. So what chance do we have in branding, where success can take years to unfold and is rarely credited back to the strategic and creative decisions that made it possible?
The answer might be: not much – unless we change the conversation.
Brand’s ROI Problem Isn’t About Proof. It’s About Belief.
The data does exist. The DBA’s Design Effectiveness Awards prove again and again that when design is done right, and measured properly, it delivers commercial results.
Of course, as mentioned earlier, the clearest results often come from the most visible interventions – things like packaging or design refreshes. But strategic brand work tends to unfold over time and operates at one remove from direct cause and effect.
That makes it harder to measure, but no less important. And that’s where belief becomes critical. Because if you can’t show a chart going up next quarter, you need conviction in the long-term view. You need clients and practitioners who are willing to back a brand strategy like they’d back a good investment: with patience, confidence, and a clear plan.
But what if the real problem isn’t the data, it’s that we’ve internalised the doubt?
So, What Do We Do?
A few thoughts:
We stop selling magic and start selling method.
Brand ROI isn’t a mystery, it just needs to be framed like any long-term investment. Clear vision. Solid foundations. Strategic consistency. That’s what pays off, and it can be measured over time if we set the right benchmarks.
We reframe ROI.
If businesses truly believe that brand is just a cost, they’ll treat it like one. Our job is to show how it unlocks value, not just in sales, but in pricing power, employee alignment, innovation, and reputation. These are economic levers, not artistic flourishes.
We push back on impatience.
If even a 5-to-1 return isn’t fast enough for policymakers, we need to teach business leaders the value of compounding. The best brands, like the best investments, accrue power slowly, then suddenly.
Closing: Not Doomed, But Deluded
No, we’re not doomed. But we are deluded if we think value will be recognised without a fight. If R&D can’t survive without advocacy, branding certainly won’t. It’s time we stopped whispering about value and started shouting about it.
Because in a world where $1 becomes $5 and still gets cut, brand won’t be taken seriously until we take ourselves seriously first.