I was recently lunching with a friend when she tried to explain to me her obsession with Aldi. I have never been to Aldi, and I was fascinated by her explanation.
“The food doesn’t come in fancy packages or anything. It kinda feels like a warehouse. But they had this comfy pillow I wanted, but it was sold out. So I’m going back on Monday when they have more in stock.”
A company that specialized in comfy pillows and unfancy pre-packaged foods. I wasn’t sold.
Several days later, she sent me a photo of the aisles of Aldi, and I was even less convinced. It looked like a miniature version of a big-box retail store like Costco or Sam’s Club. What exactly was it about this experience that lured this friend in on a (seemingly) weekly basis?
Then, as I was researching this week’s blog, it hit me. The brand promise of Aldi. “The highest quality. The lowest prices.”
Ohhhhh.
Well, who DOESN’T want that? That’s a shopping experience I can get on board with. And that, folks, is what an effective brand promise does every single time. It previews a customer experience worth craving. An extraordinary experience. It converts you from confused to curious, from ambivalent to attentive.
And that was exactly what Aldi’s brand promise did for me. I plan to visit the closest Aldi this weekend.
And that is what this week’s blog is all about too. Brand promises that clear up confusing and, you know, promise to do something. Something big enough that people want to check out whatever it is you are selling.
But first things first…
What is a brand promise?
Brand Promise. Tagline. Slogan. Mission Statement. Just the mere marketing vernacular of it all can make your head whirl.
There are about a thousand different explanations as to which is which and what they do and where you should put them. One marketer will argue that a brand promise is a behind-the-scenes sorta thing that your customer never sees. Others will argue that your brand promise is exactly that–the promise you make to your customer. The thing they know they can expect from you. Every. Single. Time.
We aren’t here to add to the marketing debate. We won’t ponder over the finer points of whether or not DeBeer’s “A Diamond is Forever” is a tagline or a brand promise. We’ll leave that to another blog post.
What we DO want to talk about is promises. Whether you call it a tagline or a slogan or a mission statement, if there’s a promise in it, then you can probably call it some variation of a brand promise. So we’re looking at the brand promise examples some of the major Fortune 500 companies make. But if you want to call them mission statements or taglines or slogans, that’s fine too.
So with that being said, let’s look at some of the brand promise examples of the world’s most famous and successful companies.
Learn 3 Lessons From These Compelling Brand Promise Examples
Communicate the benefit, and make it snappy.
You don’t have to be Shakespeare when it comes to your brand promise. Sometimes the shorter, the sweeter. Take these examples from everyday brands you know.
Walmart: Save Money. Live Better.
That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? But if you want to go into details, they go on to say that they “…deliver on this promise by bringing value and convenience to millions of customers in 23 countries.”
Next up on the short and snappy list? “Think Different.” (Y’all know where this one came from, right folks?) Now you might argue this is more of a tagline or a slogan. But when you think about it, it’s both. Either way, there’s something hypnotic about this brand promise.
Not only are they telling you that you can and should think differently (with the help of their technologies), but they promise to think differently in the technologies they provide to you. And they did it in two words.
Make your brand promise easy to measure.
Every marketer talks about this one from Geico. It’s like the gold standard of brand promises:
15 minutes or less can save you 15% or more on car insurance.
Y’all know it. And y’all know why it works. It is a brand promise example that isn’t just measurable ONCE; it is measurable TWICE. It’s got both a time-based promise and a hit-’em-in-the-pocketbook promise to boot. And this measurable brand promise works. Between this and their lizard mascot (whose name is Martin, by the way), Geico owns a ginormous 13% of the car insurance market share.
But having a measurable brand promise isn’t always so direct. Let’s take a look at Google’s brand promise. “Our company mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
Is this measurable? Well, when you consider that Google is the most used search engine, then yes, it is. It seems they have delivered on their promise to be the most universally accessible and useful database.
Communicate the way your customer will feel.
If you want to ensure a strong brand promise, don’t forget to create a strong emotional connection. Check out Coca-Cola’s brand promise:
“Our central promise at The Coca-Cola Company is to refresh the world in mind, body, and spirit, and inspire moments of optimism; to create value and make a difference.”
Well, if that doesn’t make you want to open up a can of Coca-Cola, I don’t know what will.
Up next: let’s say that you are a brand that wants to give people all the feels about going to the gym. Something people usually don’t get emotional about. “The Judgement Free Zone” is Planet Fitness’ tagline. But when you did a bit deeper, they explain it further. “The World Judges, We Don’t. At Planet Fitness, Be Free.”
Good vibes accomplished.
For two other brand promise examples that tug at the old heartstrings, you have to look no further than Starbucks and Target. Starbucks’ mission is “To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”
Target’s? “To help all families discover the joy of everyday life. That’s our purpose. Our mission. The promise of surprises, fun, ease and inspiration at every turn, no matter when, where or how you shop.”
Brand promises that make you go d’awww….
So, how do you make a brand promise?
Many steps go into making a brand promise, but you’re in luck. Each one is laid out in our Chief Sizzler, Stephanie Nivinskus’ book “Absolutely Unforgettable: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Creating a Heart-Centered Brand and Standing Out in a Noisy World.” You can get a FREE download of the eBook right here on the SizzleForce website.
But speaking of promises, the book is chock-full of so much more. It will truly help you create an absolutely unforgettable brand.