Snapdragon existed for years as a logo on a chip inside a tech-focused company that didn't know what to do with it. The brand's transformation began only when the CEO gave the CMO a clear, ambitious brief: turn Snapdragon into a consumer brand and a cultural icon. This top-down mandate was essential to unlock the necessary investment and organizational focus.

The ultimate PLG companies are consumer brands like shampoo, which sell on brand affinity, not commoditized features. As software becomes more commoditized, B2B companies must similarly build a strong brand theme that inspires users to associate with them, creating a more durable moat than features alone.

Qualcomm's CMO argues that the distinction between brand and performance marketing is a false dichotomy. All marketing must perform by driving resonance that leads to action and measurable business results. The goal is to prove how brand value directly drives business value, a concept supported by data showing top brands outperform market indices.

To prove brand's financial impact, connect it to the three core levers of Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). A strong brand lowers customer acquisition costs, increases retention, and supports higher margins through pricing power. Since aggregate CLV is tied to firm valuation, this makes brand's contribution tangible to a CFO.

Instead of justifying brand building as a defense against AI-driven commoditization, frame it as an offensive move that builds long-term value. A strong brand shortens sales cycles and increases customer lifetime value, directly impacting revenue and making it a proactive investment that resonates with CEOs and CFOs.

Instead of focusing on technical specs, Snapdragon's marketing attaches the brand to consumer passions like sports, music, and photography. The strategy is to show how their technology enhances these experiences, making the brand more relevant and emotionally resonant than it would be by simply explaining its features and benefits.

Qualcomm structures its sponsorships not as simple transactions but as innovative partnerships. They negotiate for pass-through rights, allowing partners like Samsung to participate in activations, and for the ability to replace the Snapdragon logo with a charity's, turning the sponsorship into a flexible ecosystem and purpose-driven platform.

The traditional divide between B2B and B2C marketing is obsolete. Effective brands must speak to business and consumer audiences with the same authentic voice, bridging efforts to create a cohesive identity, much like how the NFL mothership brand supports individual team brands.

Grammarly's rebrand to Superhuman represents a strategic shift from a single-feature product to an ambitious platform. Elevating the "Superhuman" sub-brand to the parent signals a broader mission of empowering human potential across various tasks, not just correcting grammar. The key is focusing on "human" empowerment.