How much does a brand strategy cost?
This article is written in March 2026. It is a simple piece intended to open the eyes of Romanian entrepreneurs or marketing managers who are already navigating a period of great uncertainty. Additionally, AI is a double-edged sword—bringing both opportunities and challenges. This is not an academic paper; it is the simplest formulation of over 15 years of experience in branding and design, drawing from resources accessed during this time (school, specialized training, books, articles, and peer discussions).
We are living through a profound transformation of society due to technological advancement. AI technology is already deeply changing how companies operate, how they interact with each other, and especially how they connect with their customers. In this context, the question arises even more strongly: “Do I need a brand strategy?” If I have one, do I need to change it? And, inevitably, the question follows: “How much does a brand strategy cost?“
In this article, we focus on organizational (corporate) branding, though many elements mentioned here apply to product branding as well. Before reaching the core question regarding price, we must clarify a few concepts from an organizational perspective.
What is a Brand?
We have written extensively on this topic in previous articles. How a brand audit can grow a business, The brand story – How to build strong organizations, Brand Strategy vs. Brand Identity, Clarity in communication: The difference between Brand, Branding, Style Guide, and Brand Manual, Brand vs. Branding: Understanding the differences and 5 criteria for choosing the right branding agency., 13 things you should know about branding, Building a Successful Brand: A Brief Look at 5 Myths .
The simplest definition of a brand—and perhaps the easiest to grasp—is this: A brand is what people say about your company when you are not in the room. Therefore, a brand refers to what a person feels, believes, and imagines about your company. The brand exists exclusively in their mind; thus, you cannot change it directly—you can only influence its construction.
Another important thing: perceived value is more important than real value. That is, it is very important for a company to have a very good identity, but even more important is for it to have a good image — that is, for the public to see, to assimilate this good identity of the company. What does “good” mean? It is not even relevant in this context — we are talking about mechanisms of forming a perception.
Why is a Brand important?
A company has close ties with many entities and groups: customers, potential clients, employees, board members, shareholders, investors, financial analysts, media, community organizations, strategic partners, competitors, the general public, suppliers, industry experts, and government authorities.
Since a brand is the perception these people hold, several observations follow:
- Higher Productivity:A strong brand boosts productivity because employees feel they are part of something larger than just profit generation. It also leads to better retention.
- Easier Sales: It helps the customer buy more easily and fosters long-term relationships.
- Support for Teams: It empowers the sales team and helps the HR department recruit talent more effectively.
- Negotiation Power: It aids in negotiations with suppliers
- , and public entities
- (government, media, etc.).
Concrete Value:Brand value is measured by accredited firms like Interbrand, Brand Finance, and Kantar. For example, Nike’s (NKE) brand value is estimated at over 25% of the company’s total market value. For luxury brands, this can reach 40% or even 50%. For a small or medium business in Romania, this means that in the case of an exit or attracting an investor, the sale price can increase significantly if the brand has been professionally evaluated.
Why is branding important for a company in Romania?
- A strong brand means a higher company value.
- It means loyal customers.
- It means more leads.
- It means an easier recruitment process — attracting talent more easily.
- A better experience, both internally and externally
- Greater overall resilience in the face of intense global competition.
What is a Strategy? What is a Brand Strategy?
A strategy is a set of choices and decisions you make within a given business context to win. Crucially, strategy is not a plan—it is what you choose to do (and not do) in business to succeed.
Brand strategy refers to how you will build the brand—how you will influence what people believe about your company. Naturally, you need an identity (a clear formulation of what your company is and isn’t) and a plan to make that identity known. It is a journey from identity to actions, general expression, and ultimately, experiences—which have the greatest power to shift perceptions.
Branding is the process of building that brand.
If we talk about rebranding, we are talking about rethinking the brand strategy. Where none exists, we talk about creating one. This is not just a logo change; it is a complex process: research (interviews, focus groups, surveys), workshops with key stakeholders, decision-making, change management planning, internal actions, and rethinking the visual identity and communication channels (from website to LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook).
How much does a brand strategy cost?
It is very good that you are asking this question. Intuitively, you realize that your company’s brand is something important. The only cost that truly matters in this context is the opportunity cost. That is, how much it costs you NOT to have a strong brand. By far, the largest cost is the opportunity cost. Let’s see why.
- How much does it cost you to recruit today? But how much does it cost the global companies in the Romanian market? How much would it cost if you had a strong brand? Here we have a very good example — Electromontaj, which in a few years went from making supernatural efforts to recruit talent from the specialized market in Romania, to being a desired employer. Obviously, it wasn’t easy; it was a sustained effort, but the fruits are commensurate. So, how much does recruitment cost you today? How much would it cost if you recruited twice as easily?
- How many leads do you have today? What is the effort required to generate them? What if it were twice as easy? This “twice” is relative — it could be 4 times or just 1.2 times, depending on many factors.
- The biggest difference lies in the area of labor productivity. People accomplish more when they believe in their work. From our experience, we can say that this aspect is neglected in Romanian companies. When even minimal attention is given to this element, the results can be substantial. However, sustained effort is always required — you cannot build transformation without a strategy and a long-term plan.
Here is a relevant example. We were involved in a Hidroelectrica storytelling project — essentially, we conceptualized the script for a presentation video for one of Hidroelectrica’s subsidiaries and handled the editing. Naturally, our overall focus on purpose marketing led us to explore the idea of identifying and communicating a higher purpose, one that the people in that subsidiary were actively contributing to through the small, specific tasks each of them performed.
It worked — we touched the hearts of many people in the group because, for the first time in an official meeting, they felt that they mattered, that their work made an undeniable contribution to a higher purpose. What happened next? We don’t know, but a transformation could certainly have started from there.
Back to the opportunity cost of lacking a brand and branding
The cost is immense —we see this in the companies with which we have embarked on a journey of transformation. Most of the time, these companies become unrecognizable, in the best sense possible. Immense potential is brought to light and all business areas stand to gain —from sales and strategic partnerships to recruitment, team balance, and relationships with external entities. In all the transformations we have coordinated, we have always taken the companies’ heritage into account, making it a foundational element.
I have a marketing department, we take care of the brand, we do branding – can we handle it internally?
The question often arises: Am I doing enough in the area of branding? We have many activities—I have a marketing department, dedicated people, we have daily activity, we post weekly on LinkedIn.
If there is a brand strategy—meaning a set of decisions made in a given context to win—and a plan to put it into practice, then yes, it is enough. If there isn’t, then it isn’t.
Do not confuse communication strategy with marketing strategy or brand strategy. They are different things, though they must share common elements. So, if you are just posting without having a brand strategy, it is not enough—more is needed.
Can I do this internally?
Honestly, we believe so, but never at the level you would reach together with a specialized team. If you do it yourself, it is mandatory that you, as an entrepreneur or marketing manager, have solid knowledge of branding. It is not enough to read a bit about the subject or explore with AI—more is required. Furthermore, there will be things you cannot do because you are on the inside—you cannot have an objective view of the organization or the market, you cannot correctly measure internal or external perceptions of the brand, etc.
How do I know if I have a healthy brand and healthy branding?
Do you have a brand strategy? Do you have an implementation plan? If they exist, that is a plus. Then, their quality and the fruits they bear (how people perceive the organization, both internally and externally) matter enormously.
In this regard, you need a brand audit.. Can you do it internally? Yes, but without very high expectations. It is like any audit you perform internally—it gives you a perspective, but it will be limited.
Most of the time when we performed a brand audit (and we have only done so for organizational brands) in Romania, there was no brand strategy for us to analyze. We only analyzed the perception, not the foundation on which it was created or a coherent plan for shaping it.
We have a recent experience: in 2025, for one of our IT clients, we had access to their rebranding strategy. Unfortunately, the focus there was on visual identity, created without a consistent foundation. Visually it was fine, but there was no set of decisions regarding the company and the place they wanted to occupy in people’s minds. This created a rift and, obviously, the transformation process was deeply hindered—it lacked consistency.
Do B2B brands still matter in the AI era?
They matter more than ever because a brand represents authority and emotional connection. AI validates such elements and makes suggestions based on them. Moreover, in a world set on autopilot, brands will be control markers—reference points that can take the system off autopilot or, when reached, can increase trust in it.
So, how much does creating a brand strategy cost?
Remember: the opportunity cost is the most important and the largest.
If we are talking about a brand strategy, we are thinking of a very complex process. As mentioned above, this endeavor is not a logo change—it is a complex process that includes many stages: research (interviews, group meetings, hypothesis validation through questionnaires), workshops with key people in the company, committing to decisions, creating a change plan, a series of actions within the company, rethinking the visual identity, potentially creating a new logo, and transforming communication channels—from the website to LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
Depending on the project’s complexity, the cost can be €20,000, but it can reach €200,000 or even millions.
Okay, I understand—high opportunity cost. What do I do next?
It is never too late to be what you could have been. This is an idea we strongly believe in, though it applies more to people and less to companies. Nevertheless, aim higher and look for 3 specialized branding companies starting tomorrow. Start a dialogue about transformation. Do not make decisions based only on portfolios, press appearances, or costs. Look at the method, seek to understand the depth of the team, and then decide who to move forward with.
In times of crisis, what will give you direction, consistency, and credibility will be a strong brand—meaning a healthy relationship with the public you serve, a higher purpose, and a promise that defines you.
