Brand Launch Campaign? Start Here.

A brand launch campaign has two clear jobs. First — and most important — it must cut through the noise to make a strong first impression that builds lasting brand equity. The audience should know who you are and remember you. The second job is to bring surprise and delight to new customer acquisition — but never at the expense of clarity or recall.

This is where many launches falter before they begin. In the rush to stay culturally relevant, brands often over-index on creative excitement and overlook the media plan — or assume it can come later. Others believe doing it properly is too costly. But what’s truly expensive is a launch that fails to launch.

So why does a brand launch campaign need paid media? And what's the right investment in brand reach to scale? Here's where we come in. While creative brilliance is essential, it's paid media advertising that ensures your message reaches the right audiences, at the right time.

The customers you win at launch can make or break your business, charting a quick path to lifetime value and viral word of mouth - or an unprofitable customer service nightmare. When a brand is new to market, the brand launch campaign is a test of whether you *have a market* at all. You only get one chance to make a first impression. The brand launch campaign is where strategy meets the spotlight. To learn our award-winning secrets - and know whether Criterion Global might be a perfect partner for planning your brand launch - read on.

Brand campaign boosting visibility and social relevancy – as well as sales

Evolved startup from traditional fashion print branding to 360* digital, reflecting brand DNA

Award-winning rebranding campaign that pioneered the use of film as digital video

In the past decade, advertising has witnessed a seismic shift. Performance media advertising - along with investment in Google, Meta, and Amazon - has surged, diverting brand budgets toward immediate returns. But in the rush to prove ROI, the art of brand differentiation often gets overlooked. Brand media investment and performance marketing have been pitted against one another, when in fact, they should work hand in hand. However, branding and ROI are not mutually exclusive. Rather, we believe that they work hand in hand: branding builds trust, which makes direct-response sales easier to win.

In general, building brand equity takes time. But the rewards are great. An excellent brand launch campaign should use brand engagement metrics custom to the market, with an eye on impacting long-term equity and customer lifetime value. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither are great brands.

In a noisy market - for virtually every industry - the way a brand first "meets" a customer impacts how that customer perceives the brand. Paid media is the singular catalyst to measurably, reliably spark those first "meetings" - at scale, where you control the message, targeting, and context. A brand launch should manufacture a bit of magic in this first encounter. If advertising is asking a customer on a date, branding is the reason they say yes. The brand launch campaign lays the foundation for future customer acquisition, so it's imperative to get it right.

Launching a brand is a journey. The right partners make all the difference. At Criterion Global, we're not just an agency; we're your trusted navigators in the world of paid media advertising.

But don't just take our word for it. Explore our success stories, where we've helped brands like ZEISS Optics, Belmond Hotels, Gorillas, Barbie, Guerlain, and many more capture attention, win hearts, and create lasting value. Schedule a 30 min call with our strategists for more on how we might approach your forthcoming brand launch campaign.