Unisender: Brand Value Through a Product Approach

In a new episode of the Myshelovka podcast, hosts Katya Rusakova and Yulia Panetskaya spoke with Grigory Bakhin, founder of a strategic consultancy and former Chief Marketing Officer at Unisender. Grigory has also worked with brands including MegaFon, IVI, Yandex Go and Yandex Market.

Myshelovka is a podcast about marketing and selling even what seems impossible to sell. Its hosts are former product performance marketer Ekaterina Rusakova and Yulia Panetskaya, Serenity's product performance marketer and Head of Paid Search. They talk with leading experts about creating effective, creative marketing.

In the podcast's eighth episode, Grigory and the hosts discussed recent digital marketing trends, how technology can improve customer experience and business performance, and examples from his work. They explored how small businesses can build a strong brand, how marketing affects profit, and why retaining customers matters as much as attracting them.

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Listen to the full podcast on your preferred platform:
Apple Podcasts
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Brands now compete fiercely for attention in an overcrowded information landscape. Grigory says the way people think about branding has shifted in recent years. Even small businesses and marketplace sellers are beginning to ask what a brand is and what value it creates.

Brand strength is becoming important even for small businesses that see the need for a distinctive identity. Rebranding and brand building are taking centre stage, reflecting a broader shift towards long-term customer relationships, alongside sales.

Grigory described how his approach to marketing evolved. He began in content management and social media, then moved from a focus on communications to a deeper understanding of how marketing connects with the business. In recent years, he has become more focused on marketing's direct contribution to profit, not just lead generation.

Lead quality matters as much as lead volume. Marketing teams increasingly need to manage investment effectively, track the return on each amount spent and assess activity against concrete business metrics.

Grigory also shared three groups of metrics for evaluating marketing performance:

1. Business metrics — including revenue, profit, customer lifetime value (LTV) and new product launches.
2. Marketing metrics — including traffic, users and audience engagement.
3. Communication metrics — such as reach, comment sentiment and brand mentions.

A central challenge for modern marketing is not just attracting an audience, but building lasting customer relationships. That requires a clear understanding of how marketing affects business performance.

When hiring, Grigory says, leaders can choose people who are like them or seek people with different perspectives. He believes the second approach is more effective for growth. A diverse team can look at challenges from different angles and find new solutions. Colleagues who are willing to challenge ideas can help leaders move beyond familiar approaches.

People should contribute their expertise and help the business grow, rather than simply follow instructions. This approach helps teams develop and create innovative products.

Marketing has two broad aims: acquiring customers and retaining them. A CMO should be experienced in at least one of these areas and understand how to develop a strategy for both.

On one hand, businesses need effective lead generation to attract new customers. On the other, retention and loyalty are becoming more important. Nurturing audiences, improving customer experience and creating value matter just as much as acquisition.

In today's business environment, attracting customers may be easier than retaining them. A company that offers a strong product, good service and meaningful customer value can build a loyal base that continues to generate revenue without constant lead generation.

More from the podcast:

• How content contributes to business profit
• How companies decide whether to work with an agency
• Does a mid-sized company need a CMO?
• Key differences between large and mid-sized businesses
• How to become an effective CMO

Listen to the full podcast on your preferred platform:
Apple Podcasts
Yandex Music
Mave