I led a workshop the other day for one of our healthcare clients. We were refining their brand promise, in light of their new vision and mission. We assembled a cross-functional team rarely involved in this work, which was refreshing because they approached the exercise very simply from the standpoint of “promises are about people.”
Criteria for creating the promise flowed easily from here:
• One sentence that speaks in a simple and human voice, so that each team member is engaged and inspired to deliver on the promise each and every day
• Believable to, and can be delivered by, all facilities
• Unique, such that no other organization should fit within the statement
• Compelling in that it addresses benefits that communities are hungry for
• No throwaway words, as they don’t distinguish and just take up space
But there was one more point that we needed to consider. The promise needs to be deliverable through Web 2.0/social media dialogue. To accommodate two-way conversations when consumers demand.