This document discusses the importance of defining a brand promise for a startup. It notes common misconceptions around branding, such as that it is not necessary for a small startup or that it is just a marketing activity. The document emphasizes that branding is about building relationships and experiences with customers in order to create trust, loyalty, and advocacy. It recommends startup founders capture their brand promise and strategy in a brand brief that clarifies their vision, mission, value proposition, target market and competitive advantage. An exercise is provided for attendees to build their own brand briefs.

1. Defining Your Brand Promise
@LaurenPerkins
Founder and CEO @PerksConsulting
Entrepreneur in Residence @Columbia
Author #CMplaybook
Alexandra Wilkis Wilson
@AWilkisWilson
Co-Founder and CEO @GlamSquad
Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor @Gilt
Author: By Invitation Only
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Experience Share: Building Brand Love & Loyalty

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“It is new territory to me”“It’s expensive”
“An online presence on social
media platforms is sufficient”
“It doesn’t create
actionable results”
“It isn’t a quick & easy process”
“My startup is too small at the
moment to need branding”
“It’s time-consuming”
“I can do it a few months
after the launch”
“I already have a PR
program in mind”
“I already have a personal brand, I don’t
need to recreate one for my startup”
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Misconceptions of Brand

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Who
love?
do you
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7. Need
Loyalty
Desire Trust
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Community
Identity
Belonging
Connection
Value
Happiness
Truth Wanting
New
Exciting
Safety
Consistency Purpose
Experience
Challenge
Aspirational
Passion
Relevance
Chic
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Elements of Brand Love

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love?
Why
the
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9. Trust & Loyalty
Consistency
Advocacy
Competitive
Advantage
Authenticity
Brands create: Which builds:
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RELATIONSHIPS
AN EXPERIENCE
DIFFERENTIATION
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What a Brand Does

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BRAND
PERCEPTION
BRAND
PROMISE
BRAND
PERCEPTION
COMMUNITY &
MARKETPLACEDiminish
Amplify
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Brand-Market Alignment

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When the
Love dies
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lululemon
athletica
Fab♥
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When Love Dies

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How do you
build the LOVE?
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People first!
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Build brand love
from the inside out!

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Learn about
your customers
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16. Key
Competitors
Competitive
Advantage
Target Market
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Key
Stakeholders
PROMISE
Differentiation
Vision and
Mission
Value
PropositionKey Products
or Services
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Start with a Brand Brief to Capture Your Promise & Strategy

17. ALIGNMENT
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CLARITY CONSISTENCY
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What a Brand Brief Achieves

18. DESIRABILITY
VIABILITYFEASIBILITY
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Delivering on the Promise: Brand and Business Alignment

19. ELEMENTS
Key Competitors - aspirational, direct, and drafters
Competitive Advantage - what enables you to beat the competition
Value Proposition - set of benefits that support your promise
Target Market - define your audience & what they need
Differentiation - what makes you unique to your customer
Products/Service - most important products/services you offer
Mission - how does your startup plan to deliver on its vision
Key Stakeholders - who impacts ability to deliver on promise
STRUCTURE
-Each individual creates a brand brief
-Regroup and consolidate to produce a single
brand brief for your company
-Two minute presentation Monday morning
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Exercise: Build Your Own Brand Brief

20. QUESTIONS?
Lauren@PerksConsulting.com
@laurenperkins
@perksconsulting
linkedin.com/in/perksconsulting
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