Fastvertising vs. Real Brand Building
Why Speed Without Substance Is Just Noise
The only thing faster than speed of thought is the speed of forgetfulness.
We are living in the age of instant relevance. A trend explodes on TikTok. A cultural moment hits the news. A meme ignites social feeds. Within minutes, brands rush to “join the conversation.” Fastvertising has become the marketing world’s caffeine shot. When done well, it’s clever, timely, and wildly shareable. When done poorly, it’s awkward, forced, and instantly forgotten.
Fastvertising creates attention or buzz. Real brand building creates advocacy.
And those two are not the same thing.
What Fastvertising Really Is
Fastvertising is real-time, reactive marketing designed to capitalize on cultural velocity. It thrives on:
Speed over polish
Participation over planning
Humor, shock, or surprise
Earned media over paid media
It’s the Oreo blackout tweet. The Duolingo TikTok chaos. The brand that “won the comment section today.”
Fastvertising is a brand reflex. And reflexes are not strategies.
The Illusion of Impact
Fastvertising often feels powerful because it produces:
Likes
Shares
Comments
Short spikes in reach
Temporary cultural relevance
What it rarely produces on its own:
Loyalty
Trust
Preference
Long-term differentiation
Word-of-mouth advocacy
Don’t start confusing activity with impact.
Don’t chase the high of virality while quietly eroding the slow, difficult work of building meaning. Buzz feels like momentum. But momentum without direction is just motion.
The Difference Between Buzz and Advocacy
Buzz says: “Did you see what that brand posted?”
Advocacy says: “You have to experience this brand.”
Buzz is fleeting. Advocacy is sticky.
Buzz is algorithmic. Advocacy is human.
Buzz is borrowed attention. Advocacy is earned belief.
Fastvertising is optimized for Kahneman’s System 1 reactions; fast, emotional, impulsive. Real brand building earns its place in identity, memory, and trust.
One entertains. The other endures.
Why Most Brands Fail at Fastvertising
Fastvertising only works when a brand already knows who it is.
It requires:
A sharp brand POV
Cultural permission
A defined tone of voice
Trust in decision-makers
Fast legal and brand governance
Deep audience empathy
Without these, Fastvertising becomes:
Performative
Try-hard
Inauthentic
Risky
Brand-toxic
You cannot improvise effectively if you don’t understand your character.
What Real Brand Building Actually Requires
Real brand building is not reactive, it is architected. It is built on:
Foundational Truths – Why you exist beyond profit
Unmet Emotional Needs – Not just product benefits
Consistency Over Time – Memory is built through repetition
Experience Integrity – What you promise vs. what you deliver
Trust Equity – Every interaction either deposits or withdraws
Real brands aren’t “clever.” They are meaningful.
They don’t chase attention. They earn it and deserve it.
Where Fastvertising Can Play a Role
Fastvertising is not the enemy. It can be powerful when:
It expresses an already-earned brand truth
It reinforces a consistent POV
It deepens a shared belief with the audience
It adds emotional texture to an established story
Fastvertising should be a tactical amplifier, not the brand strategy itself.
It should be the spark not the foundation.
The Hard Truth for Founders and CMOs
If your brand:
Needs constant stunts to stay relevant
Depends on trends for engagement
Has no audience backlash when it disappears for a week
Is fun but forgettable
You don’t have a brand. You have a content engine and the content doesn’t compound.
Trust does.
The Real Goal Isn’t Being “Forwarded” or “Liked” or “Shared”
Real brand building isn’t about getting people to notice you.
It’s about getting people to stand behind you and for you.
That’s the difference between:
Attention and allegiance
Virality and advocacy
Noise and resonance
Fastvertising can win a moment. Advocacy wins a market.
Final Thought
Fastvertising is speed; Brand building is foundational.
Fastvertising is what gets the laugh; Brand building is what earns the loyalty.
Fastvertising fades; Brand Advocacy endure.
And the brands that endure are never built in real time. They are continuously built in over time.
About GDJ Brands
GDJ Brands helps visionary founders and business leaders get the most out of their brands by taking a holistic, tailored, ground-up approach to brand-building. Its founder, Gary De Jesus, excels in Brand Development and Marketing, uniquely incorporating principles of Biological and Cognitive Sciences, and Psychology to build strong brands that customers will advocate for and fulfill founders' visions. His goal is to make dreams come true.