Crafting a Brand Promise to Put Even Your Biggest Competitor to Shame.

A great brand promise reads to your customer precisely as if they wrote it.

It’s punchy, somewhat short, goes straight to the point and it aligns with their purpose in life.

It’s also hella hard to write.

In the eighties, Ogilvy shared what, to this day, might be the most valuable ten-point list for any marketer out there. It consists of one-more-than nine thoughts on marketing and copywriting as a whole. And most of it still stands true today. We’ll look into the second point today to craft your brand promise

And even though marketers have enough data to make their pants wet, understanding how your potential buyer wants from your product, was, is, and will always be at the core of great marketing.

People don’t want fancy ads, they long to be understood, and you have to communicate that clearly.

And, when marketers do their job correctly, a brand promise does precisely that. It’s your damn mantra. It’s how your business interacts with every Sally, Joe or Nick that rings customer support. It’s the driving force behind your company’s “why”.

It’s also a promise to your prospective customer. That’s why BMW sells the ultimate driving machine, instead of a black, four-door sedan and Ogilvy and Mather, one of the biggest advertising agencies in the world don’t sell ads. They make brands matter.

Every successful business understands that having a clear brand message is essential.

But does a small business need a brand promise?

Believe it or not, yes. Buyer behavior is shifting, as consumers are more likely to buy from small brands. And what’s better than a tiny, focused, but driven by a mighty purpose brand?

Just like my small, but mighty copywriting shop. I don’t sell articles, landing pages, or SEO optimized content. Although this is exactly what I do, for all of my customers, I position the Brief-er. product as copy that’s measured in value.

Ok, so, how do you write a badass brand promise?

Yeah, I think it’s time to start talking about what you’re here for. Let’s see, how do you create a brand mantra that truly stands out?

So, let’s dive in and see how a small, family pizzeria in New York is positioning themselves against big franchises. I mean, what’s more, competitive than the NY-style pizzeria’ market?

L&B Spumoni Gardens vs every other pizza franchise. Taking down giants with a great brand promise.

*I’m a sucker for a good slice of pizza.

There are plenty of food and beverage franchises in The Big Apple that serve pretty decent pizza.

But let’s go over what you get when you buy from a generic pizza shop?
Reasonable price, okay ingredients, the experience is okay, but nothing really that sets it out from the pizza shop down the block.

Now, let’s go over what you get when you order from L&B Spumoni Gardens. First, they make it crystal clear that making pizza for them is an art form. Not only that but it’s a passion, and they make it to keep the tradition of eating and sharing a slice alive. I’m serious, it’s on their about page. On top of that, they have more than one hundred years of history. And they make sure to include it in their brand promise.

So, ask yourself. Where would you grab a slice from? I’m going to the slightly more expensive pizza shop.

Ok, here’s your brand promise template.

But before we continue, you have to understand that a brand promise has nothing to do with a moto or a tagline.

A brand promise is slightly longer, mostly meant for internal use, but prominently communicated to the world through your customer experience, actions, and product.

Take Nike, for example. Their brand promise isn’t “Just Do It.”, instead, they promise to “bring inspiration to every athlete in the world”. See, a bit more in-depth and shows why they do what they do.

So, let’s step-by-step this thing.

Step one: Find out how your business can be significant to the world.
Step two: Focus on the people that are buying your product. For Nike, it’s athletes.
Step three: Put the brand promise into the base of everything your business does. You can’t half-ass it.

*Also don’t forget to figure out a way to put it in less than 30 words. Longer than that and you’re likely to miss out on the punchiness.

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