Write a brand promise
Write a brand promise
1. List the core attributes of your brand that should reflect your brand promise. They should represent what you deliver to your customers every time they interact with your brand.
A brand promise is a succinct statement that outlines your brand’s purpose. It serves as the internal anchor for all messaging and content creation. Your list can focus on different themes: Price. Quality. Taste. Level of service. Feelings invoked when using your products or services. For example, Patagonia’s brand promise is to service outdoor adventurers by providing the best-made apparel at premium prices to protect the environment.
2. Rank the listed attributes according to their importance in illustrating your brand essence.
For example, a brand focusing on delivering a superior product will likely rank product quality and customer service near the top, while price moves to the bottom.
3. Consider how your customers currently see your brand by comparing your brand attributes to others in the marketplace, and to help gauge whether your current messaging is effective.
Identify the attributes your customers most frequently associate with your brand based on existing brand research. If no current brand research exists, brand positioning surveys and interviews can help. Ask questions like: When you think of our brand, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Why do you prefer our products and services to others in the same industry?
4. Find the overlap between current customer perceptions and the impression you want to deliver.
Strong brand promises build on attributes that both internal stakeholders and customers feel strongly about. Shorten the list in the first step and include only the 2-5 top ranked attributes your customers listed.
5. Craft a single statement that sums up the 2-5 top-ranked attributes.
Strong brand promises can be anywhere between one sentence and a full paragraph long. Examples include: Tesla: To provide high-quality electric vehicles at all price levels to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels. Walt Disney Company: To entertain, inform, and inspire people through the power of storytelling and to reflect the iconic brands, creative minds, and innovative technologies that make Walt Disney the world’s premier entertainment company. Coca-Cola Company: To refresh the world in mind, body, and spirit, and inspire moments of optimism. McDonald’s: To provide comforting foods and simple enjoyment to every customer. HubSpot: To help millions of companies grow better.
6. Analyze existing high-performing assets to determine the strength and validity of your brand promise.
Define a few high-performing marketing assets, such as digital ads or print brochures, according to the following criteria: Performance in realizing marketing goals, such as conversions. High levels of positive customer engagement, especially on social media. High value in illustrating your brand promise. Then, evaluate whether your brand promise matches up with the core message of the assets you’ve identified.
7. Present your brand promise to your creative team to help create future brand assets.
The core content of the statement should not be in question, but an audit often leads to minor phrasing improvements that make it more likely to be implemented consistently and effectively.