By mbretous@hubspot.com (Martina Bretous)

If you’re a decent human being, you always honor a pinky promise.

For the uninitiated, a pinky promise is usually between two people and it holds more weight than a spit shake, legal contract, verbal agreement, and “I swear on my [insert family member]” statements combined. It’s part of our social contract – once it’s been agreed upon, it cannot be broken.

A brand promise is the scaled, commercial version of the pinky promise, with the brand holding up one finger and its target audience holding up the other.

Except, in this case, breaking it won’t just ruin your reputation, it can impact your revenue.

Let’s talk about how to create a brand promise and see examples from popular brands.

What is a brand promise?

A brand promise reveals what consumers can expect from a brand across all touchpoints. It serves as a company’s foundational value and informs every aspect of the company, from its messaging to its customer service.

Your brand promise should be central to your company, something that remains constant as it grows and evolves.

Not every brand promise is explicit. In many cases, it’s more of an internal mantra that’s shared with employees, investors, and partners. However, when you have built a strong brand identity and clear messaging, your brand promise can be assumed by your target audience.

There’s often some confusion between a brand promise and a tagline, so let’s break it down.

While it can be just as short as a tagline, a brand promise tells consumers, “Hey, this is what you’ll find every time you interact with our brand.”

So, why have one? Well, a brand promise:

• Helps internal and external stakeholders know what to expect from you.
• Gains consumer trust.
• Serves as the foundation from which you build out how your company operates from a consumer interaction perspective.

One thing to note about a brand promise, it is a promise after all. So when you break it, it can affect your reputation and your revenue.

For instance, let’s say your brand promise is something like “Innovation at every turn,” and your company hasn’t come out with something new and fresh in the last five years, that can deter potential consumers.

Here are the most common types of brand promises:

• Emotional: A promise appealing to emotion.
• Action-based: A promise tied to a specific action.
• Social: A promise based on ethical or social responsibility.

How to Build a Brand Promise

1. Focus on your audience.

Your brand promise outlines your commitment to your audience. So, to figure out what your promise should be, your first step is determining what your audience wants from you.

It goes beyond a specific product or service, it’s more specific to the experience you’re providing.

For instance, Planet Fitness‘s brand promise is based on people’s reluctance to join the gym for fear of judgment and embarrassment. The brand, in response, …read more

Source:: HubSpot Blog

Author: Aaron