How to Write a Brand Essence Statement

What a brand is exists in the hearts and minds of consumers; to develop and manage a brand effectively, you start by defining the desired brand — i.e., the brand essence statement (BES) — and then implement it consistently and effectively across all brand actions.

The brand is defined by how the consumer perceives it — what they think and how they feel when they experience it, whether through advertisements or shopping in a store. Brand architects (i.e., strategists) create the blueprint (i.e., BES) with its sub-elements detailed so all of the construction workers (i.e., a firm’s employees) can build and deliver the brand according to the strategist’s intention. While each company has its own format with the elements that are most relevant for their circumstances, there are four key BES elements that tend to be common across companies. Those elements are:

1. Foundation: The brand’s values and personality

2. Impact: The benefits that the brand will provide to the consumer — both rational and emotional

3. Support: The proof that the brand can deliver on the rational benefits

4. Brand essence: The summary statement of what the brand can do for the target consumer

While some firms will have more “levels” and attributes that comprise the BES, these four are a good starting point from which to create a brand. Every company tends to have a different way of visualizing the BES, including the Parthenon format, which I will use here.