Brand Manifesto’s & 3 That will Inspire You.
A brand manifesto, is an incredibly powerful tool for entrepreneurs and marketers who want to create a brand that “means something”.
Effective branding is about creating an emotional engagement and connection with your audience. A manifesto, is a public declaration of the principles and values of the brand. It sets the tone and the expectations customers should have of your brand and provides a roadmap for creating consistent experiences with your brand at every touch point.
A meaningful, relevant and engaging manifesto that your brand can live by, and your customers can relate to sets your brand apart and aligns your message with the hopes, aspirations and values of your customers.
An authentic and genuine manifesto can help form an emotional attachment between your brand and your audience, and provides customers a signal to their peers that their and your values are aligned. This let’s your audience self express, through identifying with your brand’s values and sharing your brand message within their social group.
If you’re a startup or an entrepreneur seeking to develop a richer and more meaningful experience for your customers then consider developing a brand manifesto that declares your values and principles and speaking in real terms to your customers about the issues they care about too.
Some great examples of brand manifesto’s include.
Lululemons Brand Manifesto
1. Lululemon — self described as a yoga-inspired apparel and clothing company, this $500m clothing empire has a brand manifesto that aligns their brand with the hopes, aspirations and values of their health conscious and lifestyle orientated customers. There’s no doubt this powerful brand helps elevate the company from just another standard “gym gear label” to a line with close to $500m annual revenue.
2. Rentoid.com - Melbourne entrepreneur Steve Sammartino has created a brilliant manifesto for Rentoid.com, that sets the tone for the eco and independent culture of this well known Melbourne brand. This gives the site a much deeper and valuable connection with the audience, provides a real barrier to entry for the online business, and gives a compelling frame of reference pitting renting against, consuming, as a viable alternative.
3. Product (RED) provides another excellent example of a brand manifesto. Product (RED) is the brand set-up by U2’s Bono and Bobby Shriver to raise money for the global fund to fight aids, tuberculosis and malaria. The Product (RED) manifesto spells out the true meaning of this brand, built on real integrity and a business model aimed to help the worlds most underpriveledge people. Whilst some detractors have taken the cynical view that product (RED) is profiteering from the plight of others; RED says right upfront in their manifesto, that RED is not a charity, it is a business model designed to buy medication! That’s a powerful message; and the manifesto publicly states their intentions upfront, which in my opinion makes the cynical view seem redundant and out of touch.
However, despite the obvious benefits not all brands should pursue this strategy. When developing a brand manifesto you must be careful that your message is authentic, meaningful and important to your audience. A trite, glib or superficial manifesto that your company can not deliver on, will do far more harm than good for your brand.
If you’re interested in creating a manifesto for your brand, start by asking yourself, “are we seeking to positively impact the lives of our customers?” and if you are, “Are we consistently delivering on our promise?” If the answer to both these questions is yes, then a brand manifesto could be a powerful tool to further differentiate your brand and develop a deeper relationship with your customers.
About the Author: Andrew Birt is a Marketer, Entrepreneur & Tutor in Marketing/Advertising at Melbourne University, Australia.
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