Can You Twitter Your Brand Promise?
I recently saw a presentation by designer, brand strategist, and author Marc Gobe of Emotional Branding notoriety where he claimed the true test of a powerful brand is whether or not it has a brand promise that is “twitterable”. It ’s an interesting point of view that certainly caught my interest. Twitter, the free social networking and micro-blog service, continues to grow in popularity. Their website now ranks within the top 50 most popular in the world. Twitter limits your thoughts, or tweets as they are called, to a total of 140 characters including spaces. The self imposed 140 character limit on message length was initially set for compatibility with SMS messaging. Now it has brought to the web the kind of shorthand notation and slang historically associated with text messaging. Using so few characters to capture a brand promise can be easy for some, and much more challenging for others. Here are a couple of brand promise statements I like that fit within the 140 character Twitter constraint.
Expect more. Pay less.
You’ve tasted the most popular German beer in America. Now taste the German beer that’s the most popular in Germany.
The Target example at 22 characters is incredible in terms of how succinct and powerful it is. Their entire brand identity is one I admire. Dramatic use of color, simple and clear typography, beautiful logo, and a consistant contemporary theme. I’ve often been asked why Lenovo doesn’t have a logo as clear or as dramatic. My standard answer is if you want to change the name of the company to a recognizable object, it would be easy. What does a Lenovo look like? I know what a banana looks like. The Becks beer example at 116 characters is obviously longer, but it has to convey a much more complex positioning and promise of value. I think it does a pretty good job. It makes me want to try one.
I think this is an interesting exercise for those involved with brand managment and design. So here is the challenge. If you were going to write a 140 character twitter that described the brand promise for the entire portfolio of Think branded offerings what would it say? What Tweet would neatly sew together ThinkPad, ThinkCentre, ThinkVision, ThinkServer, ThinkStation, and ThinkVantage technologies brand positioning? Does “Ultimate Business Tools” at 23 characters cut the mustard?
I’ve always been told that a brand promise must be unique, compelling, and believeable. Now it must be “twitterable”. I would love to know the views of my readers. Are you up for the challenge?
David Hill
September 25th, 2009 at 9:27 am
“A pedigree of innovation.”
“Exceed expectations.”
An obvious choice would use “Think” in it but I’m trying to avoid that. Since the ThinkPad’s been on NASA missions, it would be nice to use something like Buzz Lightear of Toy Story’s “To Infinity and Beyond.” without evoking the character or the film.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:36 am
here’s mine: “Lenovo Thinkpad: mostly quality, but it might fall apart after 2 years.”
September 25th, 2009 at 10:02 am
I think that “Ultimate Business Tools” would do, but sure someone can do better.
This is a lousy one, but I’ll write it anyway:
“Dont Think. ‘Cause it’s a no-brainer.”
Maybe that is more fun than good… next try:
“Think – ultimate business tools. It’s a no-brainer.”
Okay, I didn’t do it, this is not my cup of tea. I’ll leave it to you.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Lenovo: Computer’s that aren’t as shit as most others.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Apologies for the offensive misuse of an apostrophe earlier.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Think Business. Think Lenovo.
September 25th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Obsessive Compulsion for Quality.
September 25th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
“Buy it for looks. Buy it for life.”
Of course that is Moen’s tagline, but I think it’s endlessly amusing when applied to the ThinkPad line in particular, with such a big divide between people’s perception of the aesthetic appeal. I think the “true believer” crowd, myself included, would get it kick out of it.
I also like the idea of having a tagline that actually assumes the Think line is top dog in the business world, and reiterates that by way of suggesting that it makes a great home purchase as well. So to keep working over the Moen line:
“Buy it for work. Buy it for life.”
Or something to reinforce the unique value proposition (you could alter this slightly per product line):
“ThinkPad: Get what you pay for.”
This is more than a slogan change, but has Lenovo considered breaking away from the pack with a long standard warranty? I’m thinking of a Hyundai-style move. Put a built-in 3-year warranty on every single machine you sell, no exceptions. Then make it a central part of your slogan and your value proposition:
“Lenovo say… computer that not last three years, not built right.”
Okay, now I’m laughing too hard to keep typing.
September 25th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Thinkpads: Think different.
Ooops that other fruit company already has that. How about this:
Thinkpads. Designed and built like no other.
September 25th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
“Pleasure for your eyes – new ThinkPads with zero contrast screens”
Lenovo, the situation with screens is getting ridiculous with every new model. I thought that there can not be nothing worse than X300/X301 screens but T400s one is becoming a new winner with its “unbelieveable” contrast ratio 98:1 only (we used to have notebook screens with 450:1 contrast ratio or more, remember ?). Even the cheapest netbook on the market delivers much better screen quality than top priced ThinkPad. Can you listen, please ?
September 25th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
[...] [Design Matters] SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Summarize Lenovo’s brand in 140 characters", url: [...]
September 25th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Think Lenovo. Think Ahead.
What do I win.
It’s a catch twenty two. The shorter you get the more generic and cliche you get. And above you show the target logo. Without the associated branding and advertising these taglines are not as impactful. Twitter is a great test for a tagline. Most companies seem to change taglines every few years which dilutes the message anyway.
You have to have the word “think” for Lenovo.
September 25th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
How about ‘Business without Compromise’
or ‘Laptop without Compromise’
or ‘Technology without Compromise’
September 25th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
I agree with “Puppy.” I subscribe to this blog because I like your approach to design & I like the ThinkPad design. I even bought a L220x after reading about it on this blog.
But, what good is a great design when you put a horrible screen in it? Granted my L220x will make any laptop screen look bad, but the X301 screen is just completely ridiculously bad. I was literally embarrassed for having recommended the X301 (based on my experience with my great T60 2613) to a friend.
As far as Twitter goes: Try a “How much abuse can a ThinkPad take?” theme with links to videos of people abusing their ThinkPads.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
ThinkPad: Great laptops for the blind.
Commentary: The old Thinkpads had stunning screens that made the machines worth every penny. I still use a T60, and would happily pay virtually any amount for a new Thinkpad with my T60’s screen. I check in here every month or two to see if there is any sign of a new model with a good, non-widescreen display. I can’t understand why Lenovo keeps running the ThinkPad brand into the ground with crappy displays.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Think Better, Think Productive, Think Lenovo
September 25th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
As a spanish speaker, and from a trilingual perspective, I would add that the brand promise should be translated without problems. I’ve been reading the suggestions from your readers and they mostly sounds as a slogan (some of them as good ones). I mean: don’t confuse a slogan with a promise. The promise should be clear in every language, and it should no rely on tricky phrases. In addition, to think the promise in a no slogan manner helps to keep the focus in the content of the promise, not the sounding of it.
Just an opinion!
September 25th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
“Tough-tested Lenovation”
“Tough-tested Inovation”
My vote is for Jane Loyless
September 25th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Quite simple and I just dont konw if has been used before, but how about:
[Think business]-[Thinkpad]
September 25th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Of course you like the Target logo. It has a Trackpoint in the middle of it.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:15 pm
Rafe, Good one. It would truly make a great TrackPoint cap design.
September 25th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Maybe Timex said it best….Takes a lickin’ and it keeps on tickin’ I love these old commercials.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_fKppH8B0g
September 25th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
“Just Think”
September 25th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
“Just Think”
September 25th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Lenovo: A business suit with the colourful tie.
A family friend once referred to the TrackPoint as “The clitoris of computing”
September 26th, 2009 at 10:59 am
I’m surprised nobody came up with :
“Square but thinking outside the box”
with of course a picture of the trackpoint in the middle of the laptop. Or :
“after 2001, 2010 the year we make contact”
and a monolith picture (but the reference might be to old for anyone to remember).
September 26th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Think Smart. Thinkpad.
September 26th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
@Molybdo42:
That’s maybe because most people are thinking inside that damn box…
September 26th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
challenge. think. create.
September 27th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Those guys offering:
Think XXXX. Thinkpad
are on the right track. It sounds really good.
Think Business. Thinkpad or Think Smart. Thinkpad sound really good. No need to say Think Lenovo.
My 2 cents.
September 27th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
You shouldn’t need to think about your computer.
ThinkPads – a no-brainer.
September 27th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
That post ^ would be as a whole, not two separate suggestions.
September 28th, 2009 at 8:51 am
ThinkPad. A playground for your imagination.
September 28th, 2009 at 10:28 am
How about “Do the unthinkable, think Lenovo..it will blow your minds away!”
September 28th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Definitely something along the “Think” lines.
That is Lenovo’s brand identity.
Thinkpad, ThinkCentre etc…..
So:
Think smart. Think Lenovo.
Leave the Thinking to us.
Think. Create. Lenovo.
To not think is bad. Think Thinkpad.
To Think or not to Think. Thinkpad.
Ok, those 2 are really bad, i’ll stop now.
As for logo, something with a light bulb.
synonymous with ideas (ideapad) and thinking (thinkpads)
September 28th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Thinking Business? ThinkPad.
(to add a visual then the fullstop after the word ThinkPad can be a trackpoint)?
and something a little less obtuse,
‘Think…you can’t touch that’
September 29th, 2009 at 9:04 am
I hate tag lines. Especially the ones of movies. If it’s a serious movie, it’s mostly like “A man. A Gun. A Mission”, and if it’s supposed to be a comedy, it’s stuff like “He’s Big. He’s Bad. He’s a Complete Dumbass”.
Neither of them is cool.
If I would start a company, I would NOT use any slogan or tag line AT ALL. Just the name of the brand. Nothing of that cheesy sounding “look how cool we are” stuff.
My suggestion:
ThinkPad
September 29th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Think Smart Think Lenovo
September 29th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Think Smart Think Lenovo <- is a great idea. Sorry for the duplicate post.
September 29th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
ZeHa has a good point. Is there really a need for anything but ThinkPad?
Okay, that sounded even more strange than I imagined it. I guess there’s a need for cheap laptops alongside the ThinkPads…
September 29th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Is business really the angle we want to go with? I see that as kind of limiting. Some points to emphasize:
-Excellent build quality
-Innovation & Pedigree
-A “serious” machine
-Built for work
Notice I used “work”, not “business”. I’m a student, and I love my X61s because it’s a serious, durable machine with a great keyboard. Most ThinkPads are probably being used by people OTHER than merchant bankers.
September 30th, 2009 at 5:00 am
the light way of heavy duty
i would have liked to add a ‘finally’ to it, as the T400s is the first one keeping the promise, but anyway, heavy duty is what Thinkpads should be designed for.
if the promise is too unspecific i would append ‘computing’, as this is what i do, but most Thinkpad users would not call their working computing i guess. But unspecific as it is, there is the advantage that the promise talks about performance as well as build quality, i.e. the daily use and abuse of a laptop.
but i have to add to the critcal voices: current screens are way below the level of what Thinkpad displays were and what would fit the brand. So please…
October 1st, 2009 at 6:06 am
I believe a thinkpad is like a bently. I don’t think that a thinkpad brand promise should be funny or ironic (like “it might fall apart after 2 years”).
I like the “think business. thinkpad”
I don’t want the “greatest fun”, I want my non-compromised-laptop… in black!
October 4th, 2009 at 6:31 am
The “Think Business. ThinkPad.” is not very good in my opinion, since the emphasis (when spoken out loud) would be:
Think BUSINESS. THINK Pad.
While it would sound better rhythmically if it was:
Think BUSINESS. Think PAD.
But of course, that sounds completely stupid and unnatural. So I wouldn’t choose that.
And apart of that, it’s not very clever or convincing either. It’s probably the simplest slogan everyone and his dog would come up with… -> the reason why everyone here comes up with.
October 6th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Interesting topic. I am sorry I dont think highly at all of Thinkpads. Your company needs to focus on clients being able to go in and get the product serviced same day. Only one company has the ability for a customer to walk in, talk to someone, and get service.
I am hopefull for the thinkpad brand. I dont see that it is superior to other products out there. There is nothing to differeniate it anymore from other brands out there. When you are nitpicking at whether the Thinkpad logo should have the red dot… you have lost your brands identity.
November 1st, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Maybe you could borrow the old line from, Stella Artois beer: “Reassuringly expensive”.
On a more serious note, I think the notion of twittering the brand as a tagline is the wrong way to look at the telescope. Twitter is a way of articulating the brand, and have it articulated back to you, outside of the confines of conventional push marketing. It gives you an opportunity to have a voice in a much more longitudinal, high touch way.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
[...] out this blog post by David Hill. He describes a terrific idea that he learned about during presentation by Marc Gobe, [...]
November 28th, 2009 at 9:19 am
I believe in the power of the sentence. Do you have a product or a service? Can you lay out the essence in one short, simple sentence? If not, you’ve lost me. Rethink, or redesign — whatever it takes to get to that one, powerful sentence.
December 4th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Fast. Small. Tough. Black beauty.
(4 sentences!)
tOM