Authored by: Rohit Banka, Brand & Communication Strategy Director, Accenture Song Middle East

Fifteen years in, one truth still fuels me: the real power of brand is rarely realized.

Too often, it’s treated as a vehicle for the next marketing push, a new visual identity, or a comms initiative. And while each of these is shaped by brand, they’re only fragments of what brand can truly do for a business.

With such a myopic view, brand’s impact stays latent—inside organizations and in the market. I’ve seen this play out in boardrooms everywhere. The failure point is almost always the same: brand rarely makes it into the C-suite. Not because leaders don’t care, but because what we bring isn’t what CEOs need to hear—and that’s where our disconnect begins.

We often say: “Brand is here to guide your next campaign.” What we don’t say: “Brand can guide the choices that run the business—where to play, how to innovate, how to grow, and how to align the organization behind it.”

We often say: “Brand builds associations.” What we don’t say: “Brand builds behavior inside the organization—the values, the rituals, and the culture that shape day-to-day decision-making.”

We often say: “Brand is a way to communicate your promise.” What we don’t say: “A brand promise is only as strong as the operational change it triggers—how products are designed, services are delivered, and how every touchpoint shows up.”

We often say: “Brand is about awareness and engagement.” What we don’t say: “Brand is about the metrics and outcomes that move the business forward—market orientation, pricing power, attracting better talent, stronger margins, and diversification into new categories.”

We often say: “Brand helps you win customers.” What we don’t say: “Brand also helps you keep them—and attract the talent you need inside your business to keep winning.”

And this is the point: brand isn’t an output—it’s the operating logic that shapes how the business grows, competes, and endures.

Brand is the Business Operating System — the Business OS.

Like an OS, it runs beneath everything—quietly powering decisions, aligning teams, and driving growth. Without it, functions run in silos. With it, the business runs in sync.

And that’s the conversation about “brand” that belongs in the boardroom.

About The Author

Rohit is a passionate advocate for brand-led transformation—collaborating with leaders, global organizations, governments, and SMEs to drive growth through intelligence, imagination, and technology. With 15 years of experience across the Middle East, Europe, and South Asia, he brings a global perspective and an instinct for navigating diverse brand and consumer landscapes. Having worked across agency, consultancy, and client-side roles, Rohit delivers bold, high-impact strategies that are grounded, actionable, and brand-defining.

Rohit has earned over 30 global and regional awards, including Red Dot, iF Design, and the Transform Awards—most notably winning the Grand Prix at the 2025 Transform Awards MEA, a milestone that also contributed to Accenture Song being named Agency of the Year in only its third year of participation. He has previously served as a juror for the Transform Awards Europe and is also a recipient of the National Creative Excellence Award by UNFPA.