Chapter 6: The Brand Promise
How does a tagline successfully represent a brand promise?
1. Highly relevant to consumers' values 2. Captures and conveys a "solutions" promise over "product" 3. Contains an implicit archetype anchoring the promise
What is a mission statement?
A company's expression of the brand promise
What is content marketing?
A focus on relevant communications for and alignment with core consumers - relates to experiential brand management in person and especially on social
What is social value?
A measurable increase in realizing the objectives of charity without exploiting the opportunity to turn the giving into a public relations coup by trumpeting donations.
What is a brand promise/mantra?
A promise to consistently deliver to a consumer a set of relevant, functional, and/or emotional experiences
What is the first step toward internal brand awareness?
A well-crafted mission statement
What is fundamental in brand management?
Aligning brand promise with target market
What do luxury brands show greater consistency in?
Aligning their mission with internal operations and building internal brand awareness
What is corporate charitable giving?
An essential expression of brand promise
What are luxury consumers buying into?
An exclusive experience; the promise that you can create a world of your own doing and elevate yourself
What is an advertising tagline?
An external directive made to consumers
What is brand character?
An invariable identity over time; unalterable DNA, defined in luxury brands
What is key to a brand's relevancy?
Authenticity
Brand promises are anchored in what?
Brand archetypes
What is a slogan?
Brand message communicated to various consumer advertising mediums ex. headline like State Farm "Like a Good Neighbor"
How can brand managers fulfill the brand promise?
By being clear about the brand essence (its unique identity)
Which has the widest corporate involvement: Cause Marketing, Philanthropic Giving, or social consciousness?
Cause marketing; also has greatest exposure to consumer criticism
What do brand managers need to align their content with?
Consumers' real needs
What archetype do luxury brand promises reflect?
Creator/Ruler = very powerful combo
What are existential brand experiences?
Emotional takeaways that result from general everyday interaction with brand touchpoints.
What is authenticity?
Genunine concern for consumers' well-being along with alignment of the brand's identity and business practices with this concern
To inform their mission and brand promise, luxury looks to _______________ while non-luxury looks to ___________________.
Heritage; history
Why do luxury brands look to heritage over history to inform their brand promise?
History is subject to interpretation; heritage is more grounded.
What is explicitly stated in a company's brand promise/mantra?
How the brand differs from competitors
Where is a brand promise sometimes found?
In the company mission statement
How do you create a successful cause marketing campaign?
Integrate the cause with the brand's heritage and everyday operations; it should be company policy, not an afterthought
What is a B Corp?
It is a corporation that has been certified that its operates not only with a profit agenda but also a social and/or environmental agenda.
Is a brand promise an internal or external message?
It is an internal company message related to a positioning statement; refers to company's unique value proposition
Why is the brand promise clearer when a brand knows their character?
It is seen as more authentic by target consumers
Do luxury or non-luxury brands have more clearly defined character and why?
Luxury; resonates authenticity
What types of brands change taglines frequently?
Mass brands
Why is brand authenticity so important today?
Millennials are the largest and most aggressively engaged cohort that desire brands that act on their promises; internet makes brands more subject to scrutiny
Is a slogan a positioning statement?
NO
What is an example of a tagline?
Nike "Just Do It."
Do luxury or non-luxury brands have more defined personality?
Non-luxury, more subject to change
What is corporate philanthropic giving?
Non-promotional charitable donation; less subject to scrutiny than cause marketing so it protects the brand from seeming self-serving
What does the connective online community seek?
Objectivity and authenticity
What is a transactional brand experience?
Refers to purchases and interctions with brand salespeople and brand selling platforms
What type of relationship is had between consumers and brand managers?
Symbiotic - brand manager agrees to consistently provide a relevant brand experience while consumer agrees to be loyal
How do brand promises translate to consumer expectations?
The brand promise comes across in consumer experiences which then shape their expectations
What is a brand persona?
The bridge joining brand and consumer
What do successful brands understand regarding content marketing?
The business they are really in is about the consumer and their emotional needs ex. LinkedIn is not only for job seekers, it is for anyone with ambition
What is brand personality?
The essence of who a brand is defined by its social self; based on traits perceived by others (brand image) that the brand internalizes (brand identity)
What is relevant differentiation?
The successful integration and optimization of the two variables which frame the brand loyalty matrix (brand promise and tagline).
How do brand identities link to our social identities?
They link to our personal identities which become our social ones
How can brand essence be explained?
Through archetype
How are brand archetypes brought to life?
Through brand personality
Why must the brand promise be managed in all brand types?
To remain consistent with brand persona and archetype
What is the challenge of cause marketing?
To remain socially responsible and create social value
What are the two categories of experiences consumers can have regarding brand promise?
Transactional and existential
Where are taglines usually found?
Under a brand logo and in advertising
How does a brand persona affect what we buy?
We buy from brands that reflect ourselves or how we wish to be
When is a brand promise in a tagline a successful alignment?
When it is concise, clear, memorable, and compelling AND aligns with the relevancy of the values of the target customer
How do luxury brands construct a successful brand promise?
With a griffe (special set of signatures that subtly identify their products even w/o a specific logo)
Does brand loyalty increase with corporate charitable giving?
Yes
Should a brand's actions align with its archetype?
Yes