49. The Power of a Promise
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When I read my favorite management thinker, Roger Martin, call it the ‘single most exciting discovery of his career,’ I had to learn more.
We have heard this phrase before -
“A brand is nothing more than a promise made and fulfilled consistently.”
But these are not just words. They mean money!
A fascinating study has found that making a direct “promise to the customer” (PTTC) in a campaign increases its likelihood of success—for both B2B and B2C.
Based on an analysis of more than 2,000 campaigns from the last five years, this research found that brands with PTTC campaigns are 60% more likely to report increased market share and 17% more likely to report increased market penetration than non-PTTC campaigns.
But what kind of promises are we talking about?
The study highlights three distinct promises:
A functional promise of quality, range, and value for money, e.g., Volvo: “Safety for all.”
An experience promise of service, buying process, or trust, e.g., Lemonade: “Instant everything.”
An Emotional promise, e.g., Coca-Cola: “Open Happiness.”
What’s most interesting is that they found that PTTC works even better for brands looking to scale up or those with fewer resources than their competitors - aka startups!
Because a single message is much easier to communicate across channels and builds instant credibility and trust, it is also more cost-effective.
So, if you are a startup marketer who needs a budget for a new campaign, use this litmus test created by Roger:
Does your campaign have an unequivocal customer promise?
Did you use market research and customer insights to craft a promise your customers value?
Is the promise genuinely memorable, and are all departments aligned to deliver on the promise consistently?
If you want to learn more about PTTC, I highly recommend listening to this podcast - Making a Promise to the Customer with Roger Martin.
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This is my penultimate newsletter for the year. You may have noticed that I have changed the name of the newsletter from Aha Moments to Marketing Scientist.
In 2024, writing weekly and receiving feedback from the readers has helped me sharpen my focus. What is my new promise to the readers of Marketing Scientist in 2025?
That will be the topic of my last newsletter. See you next week!