Aligning your business’s brand promise with brand output

Has a friend (or parent) ever promised to share a sweet with you but ended up eating it when you weren’t around?

It’s disappointing. It can even change your feelings about that friend (or parent). And that’s also what happens when brands over-promise and under-deliver. Customers feel betrayed if they’ve fallen for an idea that never materialises.

Brand experience (BX) is not a guessing game

Look, no one’s asking you to guess your customers’ favourite colours or have life coaches hanging around your premises, but there is a BX recipe that can help you to create a balance of brand promise and output.

The three elements of BX include:

1. Customer experience (CX): How customers feel about your brand
2. Employee experience (EX): How employees feel about your brand
3. User experience (UX): How customers experience your products, services, and website

Let’s make a BX lasagne

CX is the beef (or veggies) and lasagne sheets, EX is the spice, UX is the bechamel sauce, and HX (human experience) is the cheese sprinkled on top.

Without CX, you only have spice, sauce, and a little cheese.

Without EX, your lasagne will be tasteless.

Without UX, the meal is dry.

Without HX, no one would eat it (because cheese is life).

Every ingredient plays a role in the outcome, and you determine the pace and temperature at which to bake it. Rush it, and your CX is under-cooked. Wait too long, and your lasagne is dry – with burnt cheese on top.

Why are we making lasagne? Because BX success relies on the composition of each layer.

As a business leader, you must be mindful of the elements that make your brand attractive. Many businesses claim to offer the best products and services known to man, only for customers to realise the brand is just another brick in the wall, failing to deliver anything remarkable.

Matching what’s said with what’s done

There’s a big difference between saying that lasagne is your signature dish and having your dinner guests proclaim it.

When it comes to brand promise, your delivery must naturally reflect the narrative that you are the best without reiterating it. And although every customer experience is different, the BX remains your brand’s constant and timeless flavour – everything in between builds on that flavour.

So, let your customers smell, taste, and feel your brand’s flavours to create memory and preference pathways. After all, triggering someone’s happy senses and remaining consistent creates BX and customer loyalty.

Hot tip: Don’t invite guests for life-changing lasagne (make brand promises) if you can’t prepare the dish perfectly (deliver on promises).

Don’t have the consummate recipe yet? No worries. It’s never too late to create a BX Blueprint. Here’s what we recommend:

• Integrate BX into your methodology to become a part of your brand DNA.
• Let your BX Blueprint guide you through creating content, adding value, and evoking positive emotions.
• Ensure you have all the necessary ingredients (CX, EX, UX) because neglecting one could change the overall outcome.
• Good customer loyalty goes hand-in-hand with employer reputation. Top talent prefers working for brands of choice.
• Upskill yourself with exercises and workshops that aligns your BX Blueprint with your brand identity.
• Dedicate time to outlining the mission, values, and special flavour that differentiates you from everyone else.
• Consider hiring a professional (InteractRDT) to help you design, test and produce the ultimate BX Blueprint recipe.

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