By Alice Ngatia
AUG 8 – In the business of branding, fortune often favors the bold. A recent viral incident underscored this: when a tech CEO’s indiscretion was exposed on a Coldplay concert “kiss cam,” most companies cringed, but one brand saw an opening. Tampa International Airport’s social media team cheekily posted, “Get your girl a plane ticket to see Coldplay or her boss will,” turning another firm’s fiasco into a moment of marketing buzz.
The post drew applause online for its wit and audacity, demonstrating how boldness in brand communications can turn chaos into opportunity.
This raises a crucial question for business leaders: what does it take for a brand to portray boldness consistently, not just in one cheeky tweet, but as part of its DNA?
In today’s crowded market, where consumers are inundated with bland messaging, bold brands stand out. But true boldness goes beyond just splashy ads or edgy social media comebacks; it has to be rooted in the organization’s culture, values, and actions.
Why Bold Brands Stand Out
Playing it safe might feel comfortable, but it’s a risky long-term strategy. Study after study shows that bold marketing pays off. In fact, only about 13% of businesses consider themselves willing to embrace “bold, unconventional ideas” in their marketing and those risk-takers tend to reap significantly better results.
Companies that churn out “dull” campaigns end up spending far more to get the same results as the bolder brands do, as huge amounts of money are spent on media buy just to achieve parity with more daring, emotionally engaging advertising.
In other words, the only real risk may be not taking any risks at all.
So, why does boldness pack such a punch? Simply put, it cuts through the noise.
Boldness, when done right, can translate to tangible business gains.
What It Takes to Be Bold: Traits of Bold Brands
If bold branding is so beneficial, why aren’t all companies doing it?
The reality is that bold marketing isn’t easy; it requires certain traits and conditions within an organization. Here are some key ingredients that empower brands to be bold:
First and most importantly, a Clear Purpose and Values. Bold brands know who they are and what they stand for. This clarity gives them the confidence to take stands and do unconventional things without losing integrity. YOU can’t successfully project boldness in public if it’s not rooted in genuine beliefs and behaviours.
Leadership Support and a Risk-Taking Culture are also very critical ingredients, as bold campaigns often demand breaking rules or venturing into unknown territory, something most employees won’t attempt unless leadership explicitly encourages it.
Thus, bold brands almost always have leaders (often the CEO or CMO) who champion creative risk-taking. They set the tone that smart risks are welcome and that failure will not be punished as long as it comes from a bold, well-intentioned effort. Building this culture of courage is crucial. Indeed, marketing surveys find that nearly a third of brands admit to being highly risk-averse in creative decisions, often due to internal fear of backlash or failure.
Next, your brand must have a deep understanding of its audience (and context). Being bold doesn’t mean being reckless or random. The best bold campaigns come from insight, not impulse. Bold brands do their homework on their audience’s values, sense of humor, and pain points so they know which provocative moves will resonate positively (and where the line is between daring and alienating). Bold brands listen and read the room; they take stands that fit their customers’ values or humor, even if a few bystanders might get irked. This discernment is what separates boldness from mere shock value. A stunt that offends everyone isn’t brave marketing, it’s just bad marketing.
We also cannot underscore the importance of having agility and mastering timing in our operations. Bold opportunities often come and go in a flash. A brand might need to react within hours to surf on a viral trend or cultural moment (as Tampa’s airport did), or to launch a daring campaign when it’s most relevant. That requires agility, streamlined decision-making, creative teams who can iterate quickly, and sometimes the decentralization of control so local managers or social media editors can act fast. Bold brands tend to be less bureaucratic in their marketing process. They’ve rehearsed “real-time marketing” or empowered frontline teams to make judgment calls. This agility also matters in longer-term campaigns: when the world or customer sentiment shifts mid-campaign, bold brands pivot rather than cling to the original safe plan. They keep an opportunistic mindset, always asking “What if…?” and ready to capitalize on moments that align with their ethos. Speed is a competitive advantage for bold brands.
Finally comes consistency and follow-through. One bold ad won’t instantly make a timid brand seem fearless, in fact, it can backfire if it feels out of character. Truly bold brands weave their daring attitude through everything they do, beyond just the marketing department.
This means making sure bold promises or personas in ads are backed up by customer experience, product quality, and corporate practices. For instance, you can’t market your company as an innovative rebel if your products are middling or your service is unremarkable; consumers will sense the disconnect.
In short, boldness must be a lived value, not just a marketing veneer.
“Boldness beyond the brand”; in operations, culture, and customer treatment, is what truly sets apart those companies seen as fearless leaders. This also means bold brands tend to be innovators. They disrupt not only in ads but in how they do business.
Companies that are willing to reinvent their offerings or challenge industry conventions create the kind of brand story that practically markets itself. Every bold campaign they later run is believable because the company has a track record of bold deeds.
So, to the CEOs and business leaders reading: if you want your brand to be the go-to expert or the beloved icon in your field, find your brand’s bold truth and let it shine. In marketing as in life, fortune favors the bold. And in an era where attention is the currency, boldness just might be your richest asset.
Alice Ngatia is a Senior Marketing Executive & Sustainability Specialist with 18+ years of experience in helping brands WIN in the hearts & minds of customers. Alice is also a Personal Branding Trainer and Consultant.
