- Promise
Make a clear, supportable claim about the value you offer.
- Proof
Use accurate evidence, authentic reviews and permitted examples.
- Delivery
Check whether customers experience what your marketing promises.
Use feedback to improve the experience and the message. A recognizable logo cannot resolve a broken customer promise.
Make the promise specific enough to deliver
Ask your team three questions separately: who are we trying to help, why should that person choose us, and what can they reasonably expect? If the answers vary widely, start there before buying another campaign.
Then check your offer. Your customer should understand what is included, what it costs or how pricing works, and what happens next. A hotel promoting a relaxing escape needs an arrival experience that supports it. An automotive retailer promising fitment expertise needs someone who can answer the question before the order ships. Your positioning needs operating support.
Give your team a one-page reference
I would make these decisions easy to find. A usable reference beats a long brand document nobody opens. Include:
- Audience and promise: your customer, their problem, your offer and the evidence behind your difference.
- Approved claims: exact wording, supporting evidence, restrictions, expiration dates and prohibited promises.
- Voice and visuals: a few examples of your tone, approved logo files, colors, typography and image standards.
- Publishing rules: who approves pricing, promotions, testimonials and AI-assisted content; where the current version lives; who owns updates.
- Customer issues: who handles complaints, what needs escalation and what information stays private.
Measure the experience behind the reputation
I would review leading indicators—whether your team is doing the work—and lagging indicators—what customers experienced afterward. Compare the same locations and periods, and read the comments behind the numbers. These are suggested operating measures, not industry benchmarks. When a rate has no eligible records, show ‘not applicable’ instead of 0% or 100%.
| Measure | How I would define it |
|---|---|
| Message consistency | Monthly: approved, accurate assets divided by all assets sampled. Record the sample size. |
| Review activity | New reviews per location over 30 days; show total count, rating distribution and age of the latest review. |
| Response coverage | Reviews received this month with a response by the review date, divided by all reviews received this month. Report the cutoff date. |
| Service recovery | Issues opened this month resolved by your review date, divided by all issues opened this month. Show unresolved ages too. |
| Customer perception | Ask why customers chose you and what disappointed them. Track recurring themes, response count and who was invited. |
Branded search, direct traffic, referrals and repeat purchases can provide context. None alone proves that a branding initiative caused growth. Check seasonality, advertising, promotions and changes in your customer mix before taking credit.
Earn the review. Learn from the response.
Your average star rating needs context. Read recent feedback, check the distribution and look for repeated problems. A prompt reply is useful; fixing the issue is more useful.
For Google, invite genuine feedback without incentives, pressure, staff review quotas or instructions about what to write. Do not send only happy customers to the public review page. Google prohibits selective positive-review solicitation and incentives even for an honest review.
A neutral invitation can be simple: ‘Thank you for choosing us. If you would like to share your experience, you can leave a review here.’ Keep the opportunity consistent across customers, regardless of satisfaction.
The FTC rule addresses fake or false reviews, including fabricated AI testimonials, and rewards conditioned on positive or negative sentiment. It does not universally prohibit every honest-review incentive. Other disclosure requirements and platform rules still apply; Google's rule is stricter.
A few standards I would make nonnegotiable
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Acknowledge criticism and offer a private resolution channel. | Expose customer details or hide legitimate criticism to improve appearances. |
| Use accurate, approved claims and authentic customer evidence. | Invent testimonials, results or urgency to make an offer stronger. |
| Give local teams room for real local stories. | Create local promises that conflict with your franchise agreement or approved offer. |
| Have a person check AI drafts against the current reference. | Let polished wording substitute for verified facts and permission. |
Use consistency to make creativity easier
Your franchise location, ecommerce team or event staff can sound human without improvising the fundamentals. Use local people, genuine photos and specific examples within your approved standards. Let AI help organize feedback or draft variations. Keep a person responsible for accuracy, privacy, permissions and the promise your customer will hear.