How to define your brand promise by asking core customers

Executive overview

Generic brand statements fail because they're written from the inside out. The fix is to ask your best customers — not all customers — what they reliably count on from you.

Distil their answers into three brand promises, with one leading promise that is the most differentiated.

Finding your brand promises

• Go to customers you'd love more of — ones with strong affinity and connection
• Ask: "Who are we really? What are you reliable for? What's different or even a little weird about us?"
• Distil answers into three promises; identify the single most important one
• The leading promise is often something you don't realise you're particularly good at
• The other two can be secondary but still distinct (e.g. Southwest: low fares, lots of flights, a bit of fun)
• Use language that comes from customers, not internal brainstorming

Ask someone outside your own world — it makes articulating your promise far easier.