Forget Brand Promise; Focus on Brand Purpose

The problem with the idea of Brand Promise is that it's so self-referential.  It's focused on the BRAND rather than being focused on the consumer.  Brand Promise can also be brand-aggrandizing.  The very notion can trap the brand team into way overstating the brand's importance in their consumers' lives.  Last, I've seen Brand Promise statements that are very static, such as:  "Brand X is THE brand that is the most stylish."


Brand PURPOSE, however, focuses on how the brand helps consumers realize their aspirations and intentions.  It's consumer-centric rather than being brand-referential.  It makes the brand in service to the consumer's intentions, where most marketing is focused on ensnaring consumers and their loyalty in the brand's orbit.  It's ACTION-ORIENTED rather than a passive statement of fact.


Think of it this way.


If your consumer's intention is to lose weight to be more desirable,  more energetic or live longer, their REAL intention is to be happier on some level.  Their intention is multi-dimensional.  There's a practical, tangible dimension (e.g., my blood pressure goes down or I can get into my size 8 jeans).  There's the sensory dimension (e.g., what a smaller, firmer body looks like) and an emotional dimension (e.g., happiness, joy, success, relief, confidence).  The key is to for the brand to satisfy these sensory and emotional dimensions while addressing progress on the practical dimension.  


In other words, the ideal BRAND PURPOSE is to create the sensory experience that triggers happiness while pragmatically showing a path and a plan to losing weight.


So to know your brand's purpose, you must start be uncovering your consumers' intentions.


To learn more about emerging consumer intentions and platforms for brand growth, please attend our webinar at noon CST on 1/18.  Email Alexis.Oddson@energyinfuser.com to sign up.  Space is limited.

What are your consumers' New Year's resolutions?

And are you helping her move closer to them?


Resolutions are the way consumers more overtly state what their intentions really are.  Consumers' decisions are motivated by their aspirations and intentions.  Sure, those intentions are often frustrated.  My dad often says, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."


Rather than shrugging our shoulders, now's the opportunity to align your brand's purpose with your key consumers' intentions and aspirations.  


One common aspiration that's voiced around this time of year is a desire to lose weight and eat more healthfully.  Gyms and yoga studios are jammed this week.  


According to Dr. Robert Maurer, psychologist and author, goals are "totems" for how we really want to feel.  Everybody who wants to lose weight thinks they'll somehow be happier when they're thinner. According to Dr. Maurer, those who happily succeed with their goals are those who find/create ways to feel the desired state WHILE they're working on their goals.


We're starting to hear this more from consumers.  They're looking for healthful foods and beverages that satisfy them sensorially.  Think the beautiful swirl Mio makes when it mixes with clear beverages.  Think the juxtaposition of sweet/tangy pomegranate seeds with bitter arugula.  Or the smell of sweet potatoes roasting.  


So, how is your brand helping your key consumers move closer to their aspirations and dreams?  Don't shrug those dreams off as being unrealistic.  They could be the source of your brand's new growth.


Sign up for our next webinar at which I'll share some more consumer aspirations for 2012.  Please email Alexis.Oddson@energyinfuser.com for more info.  The webinar is scheduled for noon CST on 1/18.

Consumer Motivations in 2012

Based on our soon-to-be-released research, consumers are going to be dealing with the following issues in 2012:


1.  The advent of Dream Deferred Parents.

• As adult-olescents are moving back in with mom and dad, middle aged parents are experiencing a "dream deferred."  Their visions of living happily ever after raising kids are starting to seem like they'll never arrive.
• This is today's child-rearing tragedy.  Today's parents of young adults still have the responsibility for their kids (who else is going to pay the bills if a health crisis or accident occurs?), but they have none of the control (how can they coerce their kids to buy health insurance?)

2.  The demand for foods/beverages that are healthy AND fulfill consumers'  sensory desires.  

• Think frozen dinners with aromatic quinoa, drinks like Mio that enhance boring water in a fun way, and pre-packed salads with a variety of tastes combined (sweet, bitter, salty).
• And there's the exercise corollary: exercise that's enjoyable movement.

Stay tuned for three more over the next week or so.