Brand promise is perhaps the most used phrase in branding, used by all brand consultants and ambiguous for most clients. In short, brand promise is the commitment your brand makes to consumers and what it must constantly deliver if it wants to keep them close. Most of the time, it is assimilated to the brand slogan, this is the most visible expression of the brand promise. But it should not be the only one.
Some time ago, we were talking to a potential client about how to develop his portfolio of product brands. During the discussion, he also tells us that he has thought about changing the slogan of the corporate brand to “From better to best”. “I like the way it sounds.” was his main argument.
The coincidence has made that slogan more than familiar to us, being the slogan that BrandFusion has devised for the Glas Expert brand, the expert in glass processing. In the case of Glas Expert, however,”From better to best” is the result of a process of auditing and brand substantiation.
Glas Expert went through an extensive brand audit process, with internal interviews and workshops, and then through a process of defining the brand's fundamentals as a result of which they realized that they are defined by this continuous desire to self-improve, to make things even better, to evolve and challenge the norms in glass processing. This was also confirmed by customers, who turned to Glas Expert for special projects with a high degree of difficulty. Thus, after defining the fundamentals of the brand, the generic slogan, which does not express anything differentiating about the brand —”Inspired by your needs” has been replaced by one that talks about what makes them unique. “From better to best”is the expression of a truth, something that motivates the Glas Expert team every day and that turns into an honest promise to customers.
“I like the way it sounds.”is not enough to create a brand promise, nor to express it through a slogan. The promise of a brand is the result of an analysis and understanding of what you really are, what you can deliver, what motivates you and what others expect from you. Brand promise is part of the brand foundation stage — a process that helps you organize your brand and define how it can add value. Because strong brands know that the only way they can keep their customers loyal is to be honest about what they are and what they can offer.