How to Create Brand Promises
Your brand promise is what customers can expect from every interaction. Learn how to create promises that build trust and you can actually deliver.
Your brand promise is what customers can expect from every interaction with your brand. It's not a marketing slogan—it's a commitment you make and keep. A strong brand promise builds trust, sets expectations, and differentiates you from competitors.
This guide is part of our Brand Experience series. We'll walk you through creating brand promises that customers trust and you can consistently deliver.
What Is a Brand Promise?
A brand promise is a specific commitment you make to customers about what they can expect from your brand. It's not aspirational—it's what you actually deliver. A strong brand promise should be:
- Specific: Not vague. "Great service" is weak. "24/7 support with 2-hour response time" is specific.
- Measurable: You can track whether you're delivering on it.
- Deliverable: You can actually keep this promise consistently.
- Meaningful: Customers care about it. It addresses a real need or concern.
Why Brand Promises Matter
- Build Trust: When you consistently deliver on promises, customers trust you.
- Set Expectations: Clear promises help customers know what to expect.
- Differentiate You: Your unique promises help you stand out from competitors.
- Guide Decisions: Your promises should guide every decision and action.
Types of Brand Promises
Quality Promise
Commitment to product or service quality
Examples:
Brands: Zappos (365-day return), L.L.Bean (lifetime guarantee), Costco (satisfaction guarantee)
Service Promise
Commitment to customer service standards
Examples:
Brands: Amazon (24/7 support), Zappos (free shipping both ways), Ritz-Carlton (personalized service)
Value Promise
Commitment to delivering value
Examples:
Brands: Southwest (no hidden fees), Warby Parker (affordable luxury), Dollar Shave Club (great price)
Experience Promise
Commitment to a specific experience
Examples:
Brands: Amazon Prime (fast delivery), Uber (reliable rides), Netflix (personalized content)
How to Create Your Brand Promise
Start with Your Value Proposition
Your promise should support your value proposition. What unique value do you provide?
Action: Review your value proposition from Part 2. What can you promise that supports it?
Make It Specific
Vague promises are meaningless. "Great service" is weak. "24/7 support with 2-hour response time" is specific.
Action: Replace vague promises with specific, measurable commitments.
Make It Measurable
How will you know if you're delivering on your promise? Define clear metrics.
Action: For each promise, define: How will we measure it? What's the target? How will we track it?
Make It Deliverable
Can you actually keep this promise consistently? Be honest about what you can deliver.
Action: Test each promise: Can we deliver this 100% of the time? If not, adjust the promise or improve your capability.
Communicate It Clearly
Make sure customers and team understand the promise. It should guide decisions and behaviors.
Action: Document your promises clearly. Share them with customers and team. Make them visible.
Real-World Brand Promise Examples
Zappos
"365-day return policy, free shipping both ways"
Why it works: Specific, measurable, addresses customer concern (buying shoes online), builds trust
Impact: Built legendary customer service reputation
Amazon Prime
"Free 2-day shipping on millions of items"
Why it works: Clear benefit, specific timeframe, addresses convenience need
Impact: Created loyal customer base willing to pay annual fee
Southwest Airlines
"No hidden fees. Bags fly free."
Why it works: Addresses major pain point (hidden fees), simple and memorable
Impact: Differentiated from competitors, built customer loyalty
Living Your Brand Promise
Creating a promise is only the first step. The real work is delivering on it consistently. Here's how:
- Make it visible: Display your promises prominently. Include them in onboarding, training, and decision-making.
- Train your team: Ensure everyone understands the promises and how to deliver on them.
- Measure performance: Track metrics to ensure you're delivering on promises.
- Fix problems quickly: When you fail to deliver, acknowledge it and fix it immediately.
Next Steps
Once you've created your brand promises, you're ready to move forward with the rest of your brand experience. Learn about creating your complete brand experienceor explore our marketing asset suite to create materials that deliver on your promises.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a good brand promise?
A good brand promise is specific (not vague), measurable (you can track if you're delivering), and deliverable (you can actually keep it consistently). It should align with your value proposition and be something customers care about. Most importantly, it must be a promise you can keep—broken promises damage trust. Communicate your promise clearly to customers and team, and make it guide every decision.
How many brand promises should I have?
Most successful brands have 1-3 core brand promises. More than 3 becomes hard to remember and deliver consistently. Focus on the promises that matter most to your ideal customers and that you can actually deliver. You can have different promises for different aspects of your business (product quality, service, experience), but keep the total number manageable.
What if I can't deliver on my promise?
If you can't deliver on a promise, you have two options: (1) Improve your capability to deliver, or (2) Change the promise to something you can deliver. Never make promises you can't keep—broken promises damage trust more than not making a promise at all. If you fail to deliver, acknowledge it immediately, apologize, and fix the problem. Then review your promise to ensure it's realistic.
How do I measure if I'm delivering on my promise?
Define clear metrics for each promise. For example, if your promise is "24/7 support with 2-hour response time," track average response time and availability. If your promise is "money-back guarantee," track return rates and customer satisfaction. Regularly review these metrics and make improvements when you're not meeting your promise. Share results with your team and customers to build accountability.
Ready to Create Your Brand Promises?
Once you've created your promises, bring your complete brand experience to life with Magnt's AI-powered branding tools.
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