Ever encounter a company that promises the world but delivers a confusing mess? Their website talks about innovation; then you call customer service and get stuck in an endless phone loop.
That misalignment between what they say and what they do is a sign of a weak–or nonexistent–brand promise. Or one that’s just an empty marketing slogan.
Now before we jump into what a Brand Promise is, let’s discuss what it isn’t. It isn’t a tagline or a slogan. (I use these terms interchangeably, so from here forward, “tagline” it is). A tagline is for an external audience. It can be a rallying cry, a memorable phrase, or a way to capture the essence of your brand.
Take Nike's 'Just Do It.' This tagline is powerful, it’s motivating, it’s like an inner voice. But it’s not a brand promise.
A brand promise goes deeper. It's the guiding principle behind every action your company takes. So, if a brand promise isn't just a catchy slogan, then what is it?
Let’s look at Patagonia’s recently refreshed purpose statement. “Patagonia is in business to save our home planet.” Seems pretty lofty, but you could also imagine that it guides their entire business. More on this in a moment.
Your Brand Promise is an Operating System
A brand promise is the core idea that informs your company's mission, your products and services, how you treat your customers, and even how you hire. A strong brand promise creates a clear expectation in the minds of every person in the company. In other words, it goes way beyond marketing.
Think about it this way. How do people who work for your company know how to make judgment calls?
A brand promise is like an internal compass. When a team member faces a decision – whether it's a designer choosing product colors, a customer service rep handling a tricky situation, or an HR manager crafting a benefits package – the brand promise should inform their choices.
Now let's go back to Patagonia. Their promise to 'save our home planet' likely influences their material choices, supply chain decisions, and even how they structure employee volunteer programs. It's woven into the fabric of their company. It also has a strong point of view. Notice they chose the world “save” versus “protect,” “restore,” or “take care of.” There’s a real hero at the center of that word.
Discovering Your Brand Promise
Understanding the far-reaching power of a brand promise is one thing. But how do you actually craft one that’s true to your company?
At Motive3, you’ll see a lot of 3’s in what we do. And when it comes to crafting a brand promise, we’re a little old school. We believe a brand promise drives everything, so it has to be rock solid. It has to be believable. And way back in ancient times, Aristotle wrote the prescription for belief and it still stands today. And guess what – it has 3 drivers.
There are 3 fundamental elements that create belief: logic, emotion, credibility. So let’s unpack this a bit by retracing our steps from Chapter 2.
Core Problem: Remember, your brand promise has to be rooted in customer needs. So what is the primary pain point you solve for your customers? Think back to the audience analysis and positioning you did in Chapter 2.
For example, for years we worked with a wealth management company who had a unique take on advising high net worth clients. They focused less on performance, and more on guidance. In fact, “performance chasers” were the type of clients they actively avoided. After conducting a bunch of customer interviews, a few themes started to surface.
- Clients had a deeply personal relationship with their wealth advisor. The advisors knew their client’s hopes and dreams, but also their fears and frustrations. And clients leaned on their advisors for virtually every financial decision: lease or rent a new car? Sell the business, or acquire another one? Tap into the 401k now or wait another few years. You name it.
- The reason clients felt so comfortable including their wealth advisor was because they were all certified fiduciaries, which means they were legally obligated to work on their client’s best interests, even if it conflicted with their own.
- And finally, they liked both the sticking power and the independence of the privately held firm that has weathered the storm of countless financial cycles over 70+ years.
If you look closely, we landed on logical, emotional, and credible reasons to believe.
- Logical = fiduciaries must work in the client’s best interest
- Emotional = clients want someone who really knows them, and that they have the confidence to be vulnerable with
- Credible = clients feel more comfortable with a company who has sticking power
We used these elements to craft a brand promise that was uniquely theirs: a personal fiduciary for all seasons. The “all seasons” referred to the seasons of life of the client, but also the seasons of the economy.
Now let’s just look at Patagonia one more time, and let’s see what’s under the hood of their brand promise.
Patagonia is in business to save our home planet.
- “In business” indicates that they are there to make money (so they’ll have to operate efficiently), but that money has a purpose. (Seems pretty logical, huh?)
- “...to save…” means they are going to be taking active measures to intervene and prevent peril. (Ooh, I feel the tingles. This is emotional.)
- “...our home planet.” indicates that they haven’t written off Earth for some pie in the sky Musk-ian future where we all call ourselves Martians. Patagonia at its very core is a brand made for people who want to engage with mother Earth. (It’s hard to appeal to something more credible than earth for outdoor enthusiasts).
Armed with that inspiring and powerful brand promise, Patagonia can shape their business with intention. And people who purchase from Patagonia relate to this, without knowing the actual words of the promise.
A strong brand promise should have a purpose beyond profits, aligning with modern customer and employee expectations. But analyzing a great brand promise is only half the battle. Now, it's time to uncover your own unique promise. Let's get started.
Your Brand Promise Homework:
Your brand promise is all about creating a sort of operating system or north star for your company and the people and partners you work with. It’s also entirely rooted in your customer’s needs, so revisit your audience homework from Chapter 2 if you need to.
Logos (Logic)
Remember, real customer pain points are the foundation of a strong promise.
List the top 3-5 pain points your product/service solves.
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Pathos (Emotion)
How do you solve those customer pain points in a way no competitor does? What's your unique advantage?
List 3-5 words that describe the feeling your their customers have after interacting with you brand. Bonus points if these come from real customer interactions or reviews.
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Ethos (Credibility)
How do your company’s actions back up the logical and emotional reasons your customers’ choose the way your company uniquely delivers value?
Answer this question: What gives you the authority to say you deserve your customers’ business? Why should you be trusted?
Putting it all together
Now, draft your brand promise as a single, concise sentence for later refinement.
In Summary
Your brand promise is both a guide for your company and an expectation set for customers and employees. Yes, sometimes they can become the company’s tagline as well, but the intent of a brand promise is for it to guide behavior of the company from within. It infuses every aspect of the business, from operations to communication, while being rooted in solving customer pain points and reflecting the company's unique strengths.
When you have a great brand promise – one that is understood and acted upon throughout the company – you’ll avoid being that nightmare company where the slick marketing and the actual customer experience are totally at odds.
A well-crafted brand promise sets clear expectations for how your company delivers on its value proposition, ensuring the customer experience aligns with the words you use. But a promise alone isn't enough. How your brand communicates this promise to the world – its voice, its attitude, is what shapes your brand personality. Let's explore that next week.
