Skip to main content
Search Icon
Quick Links
  • Adobe Completes Workfront Acquisition
  • Workfront + Adobe
  • Why Workfront is different
  • Leap Virtual Conference
  • Interactive Product Tour
  • Work Management Guide
Language Select Icon
US (English) UK (English) Dutch German Swedish
Login
Workfront ProofHQ
Contact Sales
Language Select Icon
US (English) UK (English) Dutch German Swedish
Workfront - An Adobe Company logo
Search Icon
Quick Links
  • Adobe Completes Workfront Acquisition
  • Workfront + Adobe
  • Why Workfront is different
  • Leap Virtual Conference
  • Interactive Product Tour
  • Work Management Guide
  • Why Workfront
  • Solutions
  • Platform
  • Plans
  • Resources
Why Workfront
Overview

Why We Are Different

Customers

Partners

Services

Solutions
By Department

Marketing

IT

Product Development

Professional Services

Agency

By Use Case

Project Management

Resource Management

Digital Collaboration

Portfolio Planning

Strategic Planning

Platform
By Product

Workfront

  • Goals

  • Scenario Planner

  • Fusion

Adobe Experience Cloud

Tours & Demos

Interactive Product Tour

Scenario Planner Demo

Workfront Goals

Plans
Resources
Learn

Resource Center

Work Management Guide

Blog

Events

Customers

Workfront One

Training

Innovation Lab

Workfront System Status

Login
Workfront ProofHQ
Contact Sales

Overview

Why We Are Different

See what makes us stand out from the competition and why top brands trust us.

Customers

Learn how Workfront customers benefit from our work management solution.

Partners

Consult our extensive global partner network of digital transformation experts.

Services

Get comprehensive support, training, and a tailored implementation of Workfront.

Recommended Content

Workfront Overview

With Workfront, enterprise work management can help your company, departments plan, predict, collaborate, evolve, and deliver their best work.

Learn more
Why workfront product screen.
Learn more

By Department

Marketing

Align marketing strategy to execution and launch campaigns faster.

IT

Transform the enterprise and deliver impact with data-driven decisions.

Product Development

Manage processes and automate work to launch winning products.

Professional Services

Manage client needs and deliver services faster.

Agency

Streamline workflows, manage resources, and deliver results.

Explore all solutions

By Use Case

Project Management

Plan projects, track progress, and deliver work that achieves results.

Resource Management

View capacity, make assignments, and prove your impact.

Digital Collaboration

Centralize communication, project planning, and work execution.

Portfolio Planning

Decide which projects to prioritize or pause, and identify those at risk.

Strategic Planning

Define business direction and outline a path for achieving your goals.

Explore all use cases

Recommended Content

Mighty Guide: 7 Experts on Flawless Campaign Execution

Read this Mighty Guide for advice from seven marketing experts on how to execute flawless campaigns under pressure.

Learn more
grey background with mighty guide logo
Learn more

By Product

Workfront

Manage the entire lifecycle of work in a single, centralized solution.

  • Goals

    Align strategic goals to work, monitor progress, and drive amazing results.

  • Scenario Planner

    Plan continuously, compare scenarios, and determine the best path forward.

  • Fusion

    Integrate your favorite applications and automate work in one platform.

Adobe Experience Cloud

Digital experience solutions

Explore the platform

Tours & Demos

Interactive Product Tour

Get a hands-on look at managing all your work in Workfront.

Scenario Planner Demo

Experience how Scenario Planner simplifies the continuous planning process.

Workfront Goals

Align strategic goals to work, monitor progress, and drive amazing results.

Explore all tours & demos

Recommended Content

Forrester Total Economic Impact of Workfront Study

Forrester interviewed Workfront customers in marketing, IT program management, product development, and the strategic programs office, concluding that Workfront can provide companies with a 285% ROI over three years with a payback period of less than three months.

Learn more
Forrester report
Learn more

Learn

Resource Center

View webinars, reports, and studies to learn about the Workfront solution.

Work Management Guide

Learn everything you need to know about enterprise work management.

Blog

Prepare for the future of work with insights from work management leaders.

Events

Join Workfront at one of these events.

Customers

Workfront One

Get product updates, connect with other users, and request product support.

Training

Become a Workfront expert with our library of training resources.

Innovation Lab

Submit and vote on product ideas.

Workfront System Status

Check on Workfront status, scheduled maintenance, and incidents.

Recommended Content

Level Up: How to Plan, Measure & Execute Strategic Growth Initiatives

Ready to learn how to take advantage of new solutions to level up your strategic alignment in 2021? Join LeapPoint’s leadership, Workfront experts and special guests from Penn State University as they share best practices, tools and ideas to level-up your strategic alignment and execution for 2021.

Learn more
Work Boldly
Learn more
5 Building Blocks of an Effective Brand Promise
May 7, 2018

The 5 Building Blocks of an Effective Brand Promise

A strong, effective brand evokes emotion, inspiring people to feel connected to your business, and a brand promise will help you solidify your brand and the relationship you have with your customers.

Let's look at a famous line from Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet:

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

The Bard certainly isn’t talking about branding or advertising in his famous play, but he brings to mind a question all marketers should ask: "Would a customer or prospect recognize my brand without the visual aid of a tangible product, logo, or slogan?"

When was the last time you asked, “What’s in my brand?”


See "The 3 Most Important Brand Attributes You Need to Cultivate" for a list of things you should focus your efforts on as you build your brand.


In order to create a brand that stands for something, you need to go beyond the name. Your organization has a brand, but does it have—and can it deliver—on a brand promise?

What is the Definition of a Brand?

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as:

“A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.

"The legal term for brand is trademark. A brand may identify one item, a family of items, or all items of that seller. If used for the firm as a whole, the preferred term is trade name.”

While the AMA definition focuses on the tangible aspects of a brand (a product, a logo, a name, etc.), things get hazy when you ask marketers for their definition. The overwhelming consensus is that a brand goes beyond the tangible. I like the way Ann Handley sums it up:

"Brand is the image people have of your company or product. It’s who people think you are.

"Or, quoting Ze Frank, it’s the 'emotional aftertaste' that comes after an experience (even a second-hand one) with a product, service, or company."

As marketers, we get the idea of branding, which, essentially, is differentiating ourselves in the market, often through advertising. But, to create a brand that stands for something, we need to go beyond the tangible.

A brand is not what you say it is, it’s what people think or say it is. And no amount of advertising, marketing, or public relations can change that.

brand quote ann handley

What is a Brand Promise and Why is It Important?

In order to create a brand that stands for something, an organization needs a clearly distilled statement of purpose to relate to its community, both internally and externally.

“In other words, a brand is a promise,” says author and branding expert Nick Westergaard. “At its core, your brand promise should define your entire business and should touch every aspect of your company.”

Let’s take a look at a few examples of powerful brand promises:

  • Nike - The Nike brand promise goes way beyond its famous tagline, “Just do it.” Nike’s brand promise is: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.” The asterisk in the brand promise says that if you have a body, you’re an athlete.
  • Starbucks - Starbucks positions itself as a company that brings more to the world than a great cup of coffee. It sees itself as a lifestyle brand and the promise it makes to consumers backs that up: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”
  • Coca-Cola - “To refresh the world… To inspire moments of optimism and uplift… To create value and make a difference.” While the Nike and Starbucks brand promises imply the product they create, Coca-Cola’s doesn’t mention a product or service at all. It aims for a mindset.

brand promise quote nick westergaard

A brand promise is a value or experience a company’s customers can expect to receive every single time they interact with that company. The more a company can deliver on that promise, the stronger the brand value in the mind of customers and employees.


Watch our on-demand webinar, "4 Tips to Make Your Brand More Consistent," for some effective ways to ensure brand consistency.


Five Building Blocks of an Effective Brand Promise

If you’re ready to take the time to clarify your company’s brand promise and to use the examples listed above as your guide, here are the five building blocks you’ll need to consider:

1. A Brand Promise Is: Simple

It should be no longer than a simple sentence or two. A brand promise is not the same thing as a mission statement, which can often get convoluted with rambling sentences.

An effective brand promise combines the catchiness of a tagline and reinforces it with the essence of the company’s mission.

2. A Brand Promise Is: Credible

If the customer experience doesn’t match the brand promise, the value of your brand is weakened. An example of a brand promise not living up to expectations comes from Ford Motor Company.

During the 1980s, Ford’s brand promise was “Quality is Job 1.” However, owners of Ford’s vehicles were not impressed as they routinely spent money on repairs. It got so bad that consumers gave Ford their own version of a brand promise: “Ford—Found On Roadside Broken.”

Today, Ford’s brand promise is “Go Further.”


See our post, "How to Protect Brand Identity with Marketing Compliance," and find out why marketing compliance is crucial.


3. A Brand Promise Is: Different

If your brand promise sounds similar to other brand promises, especially a competitor’s, how can you distinguish yourself from the pack?

You need to discover what makes your company unique and different from your competitors. This goes beyond the features and benefits of your product and straight to the soul of your company and heart of your employees.

4. A Brand Promise Is: Memorable

A brand promise should impact every decision your company makes. While a promise may not be as catchy as a tagline or slogan, it must be memorable enough for employees to embrace it and use it during customer interactions.

I’ll give my personal take on the Nike promise: I’m more moved by the asterisk (if you have a body, you’re an athlete) than I am the main promise. It’s a reminder to me that Nike is about the common man rather than the elite athletes who wear the products.

5. A Brand Promise Is: Inspiring

People, in general, will act when they feel an emotional connection to a person, product, or company.

An effective brand promise helps establish that connection by being inspiring. At the same time, don’t promise what you can’t deliver. A brand promise is meant to inspire, but you also want to be realistic. A great example of an inspirational brand promise is Apple’s “Think Different.”

brand promise quote marcus varner

The Brand Promise Formula

At the end of the day, a brand promise can be distilled to this simple formula: What You Do for Whom. I’m not claiming that the process of creating a brand promise is a simple one. It’s actually quite difficult.

But if you consider what makes your company special and use the building blocks listed above, you can create an effective brand promise that connects you—your brand—with your customers and your employees.

And just like your brand is more than a slogan or a logo, your brand promise is more than a line of copy on a web page. To form a deep attachment between your brand and your customer is to make and keep your brand promise… over, and over, and over again.

Let’s go back to Shakespeare for a moment and revisit the Romeo and Juliet quote, with a couple of simple edits based on building a brand promise:

“What’s in a brand promise? That which we call a brand
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Maybe Shakespeare actually knew a thing or two about branding after all.

Have you gone through the process of building out a brand promise? Share your experiences in the comments below.


Download our free guide, "Anatomy of a Rebrand," for advice as you make decisions that come with rebranding.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Get Workfront blog updates straight to your inbox.

Why Workfront
  • Why We Are Different
  • Customers
  • Partners
  • Services
Solutions
  • Departments
  • Use Cases
Platform
  • Products
  • Plans
  • Tours & Demos
Resources
  • News & Press
  • Resource Center
  • Blog
  • Workfront One
About Us
  • Careers
  • Leadership
  • Locations
Support
  • System Status
  • Help
Adobe logo
  • Careers
  • Privacy Notice
  • Security
  • Terms of Service
  • Cookie Policy
  • Resources Index
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
YouTube
Instagram
Contact Us
Copyright © 2021 Workfront, Inc. All Rights Reserved.