The Broken Bond: How Brands Abandoned the Promise and How Marketers Can Get It Back

It’s easy to believe that the key to successful branding is creativity, visibility, and social media presence. Companies and marketers are investing heavily in market touchpoints, brand equity, and "brand personality," often forgetting that the most powerful branding is rooted in something far simpler and more enduring: the brand promise.

What Is a Brand Promise?

At its core, a promise is a deeply human concept—a commitment that we all understand innately. When someone makes a promise, they are setting an expectation. If that promise is kept, trust is strengthened, and the relationship is deepened. Conversely, when promises are broken, the fallout is more than just disappointment—it can erode the foundation of trust and alter how we perceive the person or entity that made the promise. This is not just about the spoken word, but about an unspoken social contract that connects us emotionally.

In the context of branding, this human response to promises extends naturally to the way customers interact with companies. A brand promise is an extension of this fundamental human principle. It is not just a company’s declaration of what they offer, but a commitment to consistently deliver on the value they claim to provide. It's an unspoken understanding that by choosing a brand, customers can expect reliability, quality, or innovation—whatever that brand has committed to embody.

The Nature of Brand Loyalty

Human beings, by nature, are wired to seek out patterns and reliability. In relationships, whether personal or professional, the predictability of another's behavior is crucial in fostering trust. When we encounter broken promises or those left unrealized, we not only lose faith in the immediate relationship but become hesitant to trust again. This applies in personal dynamics, but also in the transactional relationship between a customer and a brand.

Just like broken promises in personal relationships can lead to feelings of betrayal, a brand that does not meet expectations loses its connection to the customer. This is where the difference between brand personality and brand promise becomes clear. Brand personality—character traits or values that a company projects—may grab attention or even create momentary connections with customers. But personality alone lacks the depth required to build real trust and loyalty.

Why Brand Personality Alone Is Not Enough

Brand personality—no matter how creative or resonant—cannot create the deep connection that a brand promise can. Personality is surface-level. It might draw a crowd, make people laugh, or even provoke an emotional response. But without a promise that’s fulfilled, the relationship remains shallow, much like meeting someone who is charming but unreliable. You might enjoy their company at first, but you won't trust them with something important.

Take a look at the modern obsession with "brand personality" on social media. Brands are increasingly trying to humanize themselves, posting memes, jokes, and trendy content in an effort to appear relatable. While this strategy might yield short-term engagement, it does not build the deep, enduring trust necessary for long-term success. Brand personality, while entertaining, can only go so far. Consumers may remember a funny tweet or a clever ad, but if the product or service consistently fails to meet expectations, those efforts to humanize the brand fall flat.

The Shift: Focus on Visibility Over Substance

Marketers are increasingly focused on how many times a customer interacts with their brand. Modern marketing tactics have shifted away from creating holistic customer experiences. Instead, marketers have become increasingly focused on managing the funnel—a process that divides the customer journey into bite-sized stages (awareness, consideration, decision, etc.), each one designed to prompt a specific action. This approach has been effective in creating measurable results and driving short-term wins, but it often fails to nurture the deeper connections that lead to long-term loyalty.

In a study by Gartner , 81% of marketing budgets are now being allocated to digital marketing strategies, which include social media, content, and paid advertising. These strategies are highly transactional by nature, focused on driving immediate results and quantifiable metrics like clicks and conversions, rather than cultivating long-term relationships. In fact, only 14% of marketers are currently investing in "relationship marketing"—strategies that are built on trust, shared values, and brand promise.

While funnel management is crucial for driving conversions and measuring performance, it has unintentionally reduced the customer relationship into segmented touchpoints, each interaction treated as a standalone opportunity to convert. The deeper, ongoing relationship—the brand promise—is often lost in favor of short-term engagement tactics.

Abandoning the Experience Economy

In The Experience Economy, authors Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore argue that "experiences are a distinct economic offering, as different from services as services are from goods." They explain that companies should shift their focus from merely delivering services or products to staging memorable experiences that engage customers on a deeper, emotional level.

A key quote from the book emphasizes this point: "Work is theatre and every business a stage."

The main premise is that businesses should design interactions that captivate and immerse customers, creating experiences that resonate long after the transaction is complete. The goal is to create value through emotional connection and memorable engagement, not just through the product or service itself.

However, today's transient online experiences, especially in the realm of social media marketing, often miss this deeper engagement. Instead of crafting meaningful, immersive experiences that foster long-term loyalty, brands are increasingly focused on short-lived, attention-grabbing tactics designed for immediate interaction—likes, shares, or brief moments of virality. These quick-hit strategies can generate short-term visibility, but they often fail to create the lasting emotional connections that Pine and Gilmore describe.

According to a 2021 study by Hootsuite , 52% of marketers cited “increasing brand awareness” as the primary reason for using social media, while only 23% listed “fostering customer loyalty” as a key goal. This demonstrates that most marketing efforts are focused on capturing attention rather than nurturing long-term loyalty.

The Short-Term Gains and Long-Term Costs

The primary appeal of funnel management and short-term campaigns is their ability to deliver fast, visible results. And when a campaign goes viral, it feels like a win—until the next campaign has to be created, tested, and launched to replicate that success.

The costs of these efforts add up. According to a 麦肯锡 report, brands that primarily focus on short-term campaigns end up spending 1.5 to 2 times more in customer acquisition costs over the long term because they constantly need to attract new customers. Without a solid brand promise, there’s nothing to anchor those customers once the campaign ends, and the brand must start over with the next flashy campaign to remain relevant.

Over time, these repeated efforts to generate attention in the crowded social media space are not only more expensive but also less effective. A study by HubSpot found that while 63% of marketers view lead generation as a key metric, only 16% feel confident that these efforts are translating into customer loyalty. In other words, funnel-driven marketing can achieve short-term goals but often fails to build a sustained customer base.

Building a brand promise—and fulfilling it consistently—requires greater investment in time, resources, and dollars upfront. This means prioritizing customer experience over just capturing attention and focusing on long-term strategies that are harder to measure but more effective in the long run.

Yes, this approach may seem slower, but it is far more sustainable. When customers believe in a brand’s promise and feel that the company will deliver value consistently, they remain loyal even in the face of new competitors. Long-term strategies create not just customers, but advocates—people who trust and promote the brand because they believe in the value it provides.

For example, 耐克 ’s brand promise— “to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”— is more than a tagline. It informs their entire strategy. Every product launch, every marketing campaign, and every customer interaction reinforces this promise. As a result, Nike doesn’t need to constantly reinvent itself to stay relevant; its customers trust the brand’s value proposition and remain loyal, even when competitors attempt to capture market share through short-term campaigns.

On the flip side, 百事 has historically invested heavily in short-term campaigns, celebrity endorsements, and viral advertising. While these campaigns have brought spikes in visibility, they haven't done much to foster long-term loyalty. In 2020, Pepsi's market share fell behind 可口可乐公司 ’s for the first time in decades, a sign that customers were less interested in Pepsi’s "personality" campaigns and more focused on Coca-Cola’s consistent delivery of its brand promise of happiness and nostalgia.

It’s no secret that brand loyalty is declining. In a 2020 study by 埃森哲 , 46% of customers stated that they were more likely to switch brands today than they were just five years ago. This lack of loyalty is rooted in a fundamental shift in how companies communicate their value to customers

Consider the case of Gap Inc. , which once stood as a beacon of reliability for American casual wear. The company's promise was clear: affordable, stylish basics that could be relied on season after season. But in the late 2000s, Gap shifted its focus, trying to become a fashion-forward brand rather than sticking to its core promise of accessible and timeless apparel. As a result, Gap lost its core customer base, confused its audience, and saw its market share plummet.

On the other hand, Patagonia is an example of a company that has maintained a strong brand promise and built deep customer loyalty. Patagonia's promise to deliver sustainable, high-quality outdoor gear is not just lip service—it's reflected in every part of their business, from their product design to their supply chain. Their “Don't Buy This Jacket” campaign, which encouraged customers to consider the environmental impact of their purchases, demonstrated that they are willing to sacrifice short-term sales for long-term loyalty to their brand promise. As a result, Patagonia has developed a community of customers who trust the brand and advocate for its values.

The Power of Storytelling in Business

We connect with stories because they help us make sense of the world, relate to one another, and remember key lessons or experiences. In branding, stories can serve as the bridge between the fleeting, surface-level interactions that dominate today’s digital landscape and the deeper, transformative experiences that Pine and Gilmore advocate for in The Experience Economy.

A well-crafted brand story is more than just marketing—it’s a tactic that can create a narrative arc around the brand promise. It connects the company’s mission and values with the customer’s personal experience, reinforcing why they should trust the brand and remain loyal over time. The brand story offers a cohesive framework for customers to understand what a brand stands for, beyond individual campaigns or touchpoints. It transforms transactional moments into emotional engagement, building the kind of trust that fosters loyalty and advocacy.

By grounding digital interactions in a strong brand story, companies can create a meaningful context for each of these moments. Instead of viewing each interaction as a standalone event, storytelling weaves them together, creating a journey for the customer that aligns with the brand promise. For example, every post, ad, or customer service interaction can reinforce the core narrative of the brand, turning each touchpoint into an opportunity to remind customers of the company’s promise and why it matters.

Storytelling as the Bridge to the Brand Promise

A brand story is a powerful tool because it can serve as the connective tissue between a company’s outward-facing brand personality and its deeper brand promise. Here’s why:

• Shareability: Just like a compelling story in theater that people can't wait to share and discuss, a strong brand story is memorable and easy to pass along. When a brand’s story resonates deeply with its audience, it sticks in their minds, encouraging them to retell it to others. A well-crafted brand story transcends individual campaigns, becoming part of the cultural conversation and making the brand’s message easier to recall and advocate for, driving long-term loyalty and community building.
• Emotional Engagement: Stories are inherently emotional. They connect with audiences on a personal level, allowing them to see themselves within the narrative. A compelling brand story can evoke the same kind of emotional connection, turning a product or service into something customers can relate to on a deeper level. When that emotional engagement aligns with the brand promise, customers feel more connected to the brand and are more likely to remain loyal.
• Longevity: Stories endure. Unlike a fleeting campaign, a brand story can continue to resonate long after an individual interaction. It provides a foundation that a brand can build upon, evolve, and revisit. The strongest brand stories are timeless, just like the brand promises they support. They create a lasting relationship that transcends individual campaigns and becomes part of the customer’s long-term experience with the brand.

If, as Pine and Gilmore suggest, "business is theater," then we must ask: what is theater but storytelling? At its core, theater is about creating narratives that engage, move, and resonate with audiences on a deeply emotional level. It draws people into a world, allows them to relate to characters, and leaves them with a lasting impression.

Similarly, branding is about crafting a story that connects with an audience, pulling them into the narrative of what the company stands for, what it promises, and how it consistently delivers on that promise. Just as great stories can create emotional bonds that last long after the curtain falls, a great brand story can create lasting relationships between a brand and its customers.

At Bold Narratives , we empower companies to retain and accelerate market momentum by helping them clearly articulate their brand promise and transform it into impactful experiences. These experiences not only foster brand loyalty but also drive sustainable growth, ensuring long-term success. CEOs and marketing leaders are invited to contact us at [email protected] or visit www.boldnarratives.com to learn how we can help you connect with customers and build a strategy and story based on trust.

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