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How Costco, Ketel One, Make-A-Wish, Tourism Vancouver & Other Leading Brands Make and Keep The Promise That Guarantees SUCCESS!

"If you’re really sincere about creating a personal brand, The BrandPromise is your key to success."
-Annika Sorenstam,
President,
ANNIKA


"The BrandPromise methodology is fundamental for communities that strive to create exceptional destinations for visitors, businesses and residents."
-Rick Antonson,
President and
Chief Executive Officer,
Tourism Vancouver


"Successful brands are built by people who understand and embrace the BrandPromise Philosophy."
-Michael Gehrisch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Destination Marketing Association International


"Genuine Brands begin with passion and a promise; The BrandPromise is the practical guide to accomplishing both."
-William L. Eldien, President & Chief Executive Officer, Nolet Spirits U.S.A./Ketel One Vodka


"It’s more important than ever for nonprofits to make a promise. The BrandPromise provides the roadmap."
-David Williams, President & Chief Executive Officer, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America


"Genuine Brands understand the importance of a real promise and they deliver it one customer at a time."
-Craig Hall, Chairman, Hall Wines


"The BrandPromise should be required reading for every nonprofit and member owned organization. There’s nothing more important than making a promise!"
-Henry Wirz, President, SAFE Credit Union


"As the world’s largest owner of private golf and dining clubs, we strongly recommend the 'BrandPromise Philosophy.' Without a genuine promise most businesses are likely to find themselves merely a commodity."
Eric Affeldt President and CEO of ClubCorp.


"Trust is essential for a successful brand; this book clearly explains how to build and keep it."
-Tony Simons, associate professor Cornell University; Author of The Integrity Dividend

Duane Knapp is President of BrandStrategy, Inc. which advises leading brands worldwide including corporations, societies, professional associations, institutions, countries, world-class professionals, celebrities and successful individuals who desire to optimize their perception, image and success.

He is recognized as the authority on building Genuine Brands and has been a senior executive officer with Westin Hotels, Holiday Corporation (Holiday Inn, Holiday Club, Residence Inn, Perkins Family Restaurants), The Promus Companies (Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, Harrah’s Casinos), and Cinnabon World Famous Cinnamon Rolls as well as a member of many boards of directors.

Duane Knapp's BrandPromise philosophy is highly acclaimed and has been extensively referenced and quoted in hundreds of publications and books.



   
The BrandPromise® Book Summary


The BrandPromise is the new currency for success. Author, Duane Knapp, reveals the five step plan for finding and making a "Genuine Promise" that anyone with commitment and integrity can follow. He shares his personal experiences and insights from advising over 300 brands worldwide and his presentations to thousands of people a year.





"There is an enormous difference between talking about a promise and making and keeping a promise to customers, associates, and shareholders. The promise philosophy focuses on the difference between slogans or taglines and putting your heart and soul into your promise. This book is the definitive guide to understanding, developing and delivering a genuine Promise to energize any brand; personal, business or non-profit. After all, a brand is only as good as its promise!"
-Orin Smith
Chief Executive Officer (retired)
Starbucks Coffee Company


The BrandPromise provides insights, strategies and action plans for anyone who sincerely desires to make meaningful promises that will inspire the loyalty of their customers and fellow associates. The BrandPromise philosophy is perfect for individuals and organizations that want to build real relationships and genuine brands that are trusted and admired.

"Every Brand needs to answer the fundamental question, 'What's our promise?' Then it should measure the delivery. The BrandPromise provides the right strategy."
-Warren Bryant
Chairman & President
Longs Drug Stores


The BrandPromise book clearly explains why the promise philosophy is paramount and how anyone can use it to enhance the lives of their customers, associates (employees), influencers, and for that matter, all of an organization’s stakeholders.

Knapp presents the science of this successful strategy in a style that's friendly, engaging, practical, easy to relate to and enhanced by private interviews with successful leaders, people from all walks of life and a variety of types and sizes of organizations. It's visually stimulating with charts and illustrations. He elaborates with a wide variety of examples and effective Brand Profiles which illustrate the necessity and the power of the right promise.

The BrandPromise methodology applies to individuals, traditional corporate and product brands, professional service firms, charitable and philanthropic organizations, member-centric businesses and associations. Brand Profiles include successful Genuine Brands such as Ketel One, Tourism Vancouver, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Destination Marketing Association International, Costco, ANNIKA (Annika Sorenstam),Callison Architecture, SAFE Credit Union, RK Dixon, and Bartell Hotels. Regardless of the organization or the situation, everyone wants a promise.

A BrandPromise is defined as:

The essence (heart, soul and spirit) of the functional and emotional benefits that customers and influencers receive when experiencing a brand’s products and services.

The right promise is fundamental to becoming a Genuine Brand and delivering a distinctive experience. There are three principles that are critical to achieving success.

  1. Provide a unique experience with products and services that enhance customer’s lives.
  2. Achieve associate partnership, passion and support for a promise.
  3. Create a perception of exceptional value and distinctive benefits.




Organizations that make a genuine BrandPromise must first decide how they want all of their stakeholders (customers, associates, shareholders, influencers, etc.) to feel. Once a brand's "emotional" strategy has been developed, it can move forward with its "functional" (products and services) strategy. However, it's important for any new product or service to produce profits; it must also enhance the customer’s emotional connection to the brand.

Making a real promise means caring about others in a way that is heartfelt and not just a great business proposition. In a world where companies, products and even a person’s brand equity can come and go like shooting stars, the promise offers a practical guide to long term success.

The BrandPromise book contents:

  • Chapter One outlines the required mindset that’s necessary to become a Genuine Brand.
  • Chapter Two introduces the PromiseRule which defines how customers should be treated.
  • Chapter Three details the process for developing an organization’s promise. Doing a good job is not enough, it’s all about how your customers feel.
  • Chapter Four identifies the secrets for delivering a successful promise and explains the important role of an organization’s associates.
  • Chapter Five addresses the 5 ways organizations can keep their promises and avoid broken promises.
  • Chapter Six reveals the methodology for predicting brand success. CEO of ClubCorp.
  • Chapter Seven provides the methodology for creating community brands and introduces the Destination BrandScience process with a detailed look at how to do it.
  • Chapter Eight is the roadmap for anyone to develop a strategy for their personal brand with professional insights for celebrities and athletes.
  • Chapter Nine focuses on specialized promise applications for member-centric businesses, charitable and philanthropic organizations, professional service firms and associations.
  • Chapter Ten reviews the detailed process for building Genuine Brands.


The BrandPromise book is filled with new BrandScience methodologies that organizations can apply to create paradigm shifts that result in competitive advantage.
  • A brand is only as good as its promise. Deciding how an organization wants its customers to feel is more important than any other aspect of its business.
  • The Promise Rule: Treat people better than they expect and own the position of privilege in your industry.
  • The Brand Balance: Create a business strategy that optimizes the Brand Balance-emotional and functional benefits for customers.
  • Effective Promise Signals Example: Recruit, hire and train only those associates that are emotionally capable of delivering an organization's promise.
  • Independent Brand Audits are essential for future success. The ability to predict a brand’s future requires forward focused consumer intelligence.
  • Mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, etc. Corporate change is inevitable; however, at the end of the day, it’s the customers, not the executives who determine success.
  • Transformation; It’s not optional! Delivering a distinctive promise requires a transformation, i.e. a change in the nature, character or form to deliver exceptional customer experiences.
  • Board of Directors: If the board doesn’t actively encourage, measure and reinforce a promise, perhaps no one else will either.


BrandStrategy is now reserving dates for new Promise symposiums entitled “The BrandPromise that Guarantees Success” and inspirational keynotes - What’s Your Promise?

Please contact us at dknapp@brandstrategy.com or 360-293-8810.