Never make a brand promise you can’t keep.

A three-year-old TVC has gone viral recently, as social media users have enthusiastically shared it as much for its beauty as for the disconnect between the ad and the brand it represents. The stunning film was made in 2016 by Brazilian production company Stink and has social users incredulously sharing with comments such as; “Another capitalism greatest hit. i will give you one hundred thousand dollars if you can guess the brand by the end.” and “You got to be sh**ting me. All that, for that?!”.

The brand ad for Subway is a truly beautiful piece of story telling, but it breaks one of the unbreakable rules of branding; Be Authentic. Everything a brand does and says needs to be true and accurate reflection of what it delivers. The thousands of gestures a brand makes every day from advertising and marketing to product performance and customer service all add-up to a promise with the consumer or client. When a brand over promises and steps beyond the limit of credibility it has with it’s audience, it creates dissonance, diminishes credibility and damages the bonds of relationship it is striving to build.

In the world of branding – just as in life – we should never make promises we can’t keep.

Dave AnsettDavid is the founder of Truly Deeply, a Melbourne branding agency with 25 years experience working with brands to position them for growth. His deep expertise is in the creation of high engagement brands that attract the attention of their audience and stand out from their competitors. David has extensive experience working with corporate, retail, food & beverage and entrepreneurial clients. Find out more hereFor monthly updates of our thinking, click here to receive our free Brand Newsletter