As an idea agency, we are completely invested in our clients’ brands. We help distill, hone and focus their brand messaging and then devise a plan to get that right message to the right people through the right media channels. To assure a strong brand, we make sure it has six fundamental attributes before we even proceed with a marketing plan. In this series of blog posts, we will cover each of these attributes: truthful, ownable, deliverable, desirable, interesting, consistent.

The first attribute is based on a simple rule: your brand experience must be truthful. Messaging must be credible, authentic and not over-promise. To ensure your brand experience is truthful, nothing says it better than a recent blogpost from Seth Godin, “Keep your promises.” Say what you deliver, and mean it. If you say, “service with a smile,” is that in fact how your service is delivered? Do you have scripts and reward employees for keeping a smile in their service? Think about what your saying and what you’re doing – they should match.

By making promises – and keeping them – you will create a brand experience that will connect you with your audience on a deeper level than a marketing campaign ever will.