Rethinking Brand Promises Brands are faced with more and more challenges today than ever before. At the top of the list is the ability to keep the promises they've made their consumers (and their fans)! In this session, Nissan's Erich Marx will highlight the thought process behind brand promises. Presenter: Erich Marx, director, website and social media marketing, Nissan North America @emarxe

1. Do Promises Live Up to the Scrutiny?

2.  A brand promise sets an expectation of an
experience.
◦ It answers the question – What’s in it for the customer?
◦ An effective promise is concise, relevant, sells a benefit (not
just a feature), and is backed up by the product / service.
 In the best case, your brand IS a promise.
◦ Southwest Airlines
◦ Nordstrom’s
◦ Disney

3.  Advertising
◦ Controlled messaging
◦ Aligned messaging
 Horizontally - Across media types
 Vertically – Up/Down thru Tier 1, II & III
 Experiential
◦ Branded Lifestyle / Off-line content and programming
◦ Retailer / On-site transaction-based experience
◦ 1 to 1 issue resolution via Consumer Affairs / Help desk
Controlled by the Brand

4.  Customers now have broadcast feedback channel(s)
 Social gives customers a direct power to interact with, and about, a brand,
product and/or experience
 Customer expectations are on the rise…
◦ Are you listening to me?
 Customers know more than ever, have read reviews, and have access
to “the truth” in real-time
◦ Customers are of the digital age while (many) brands / processes / products
remain of the industrial age
Controlled by the
Customer

5.  The distance between what a brand
promises and what it delivers…
 Social accelerates the discovery, and
size, of The Divide at lightning speed
as compared to pre-social times
◦ Reputations are now just a Google
search, Facebook or Twitter update
away
The Brand Divide

6.  Three choices –
◦ Do nothing (because we all know Social is a fad…!)
◦ A brand can adjust its promise
◦ A brand can work to improve its product/service… AND

7.  Don’t just use Social… be a Social(CRM) Business
◦ Integrate social into everyday processes and tools
◦ Listen and Monitor rigorously
◦ Embrace feedback
◦ Know the difference between a debate and a complaint
◦ React quickly… and authentically
 Give Social a seat at the table
◦ Make decisions with consideration to how it impacts your social reputation and your
Brand Promise
 What you do for the “good” of the brand must simultaneously be good for
your fans/followers/customers
 … and remember, current (and prospective) employees are social users too!
◦ Your Brand Promise is also a promise to your employees.
 Recruiting (GlassDoor.com)
 Morale, Advocacy
Oh, and Klout is BS.

8.  Nissan’s Brand Promise is – “Innovation that Excites”
◦ Key Product proof points
 Nissan LEAF – the world’s first mass produced 100% electric, zero-emissions car.
 370Z / GT-R
◦ Key Marketing proof points
 GT-Academy
 Heisman partnership
 Pathfinder Kinect
 Prod & Mktg Innovation Labs
◦ Key Organizational proof points
 French-owned, Japanese company where US is largest player… with a Brit as our
Chairman of the Americas and a Spaniard is our SVP, Sales & Mktg
◦ Key Operational proof points
 Dedicated Social Engagement / CRM team and Agencies

9.  Nissan #1 mainstream OEM in fan growth on
Facebook (155%)
 Nissan #3 mainstream OEM in total fan engagement
on Facebook (133% of OEM avg.)
 Nissan #1 largest mainstream OEM on Google+ (#4
brand overall!)
 JD Power recognizes Nissan Social Media Marketing
as a “Top Performer” among 30+ automotive OEMs
studied (#3 Overall)
 “Project 370Z” wins (2) Digiday Awards for Social
Campaigns
 “#PathfinderAdventures” (Mommy-blogger initiative
with Pinterest and Twitter) trended worldwide on
Twitter from 7:30pm - 8:15pm on 2/26/13
 1 of 3 OEMs offering a Hispanic page on FB / Twitter
 Fastest response time to customer posts and
highest % response rate among mainstream OEMs
Sources: ZuumSocial.com, AllFacebookStats.com, Unmetric
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