how to write a brand manifesto: a step-by-step guide to creating a unique message

Making sure your brand is heard correctly by your audience is just as important today as it was ten years ago. However, the classic strategy “to convey to the consumer a clear positioning of the company” is somewhat outdated. Abstract phrases and marketing terms are not capable of hurting the feelings of real people. Today's society expects brands to inspire and bold words that convey soul and pure emotion.

One way to become closer and more understandable to your audience is to write a brand manifesto. It is based on a powerful and emotional story that tells the client about who you are, what you are trying to achieve and why the consumer should trust you.

In a world where dry mission statements go unnoticed, the manifesto catches the eye with its bold frankness. By demonstrating the true nature of your company, you can move from an impersonal business image to a living brand personality.

Getting Started

The best way to get started on a manifest is to find inspiration in other companies' manifests. They can be published in the form of image videos, a page on a website, an advertising banner or a post on social networks.

The classic rebel Levi's in its message calls to start changing the world right now, and not to wait for an opportunity or the right occasion. Apple's innovators praise the crazy and the daredevil who are not afraid to break the rules and make brilliant discoveries. Each brand chooses its own story vector, which is closest to the spirit of the company.

Having decided on the leitmotif of the manifesto, you can start writing the text itself. To do this, first of all, you need to understand how you want to win the trust of your audience. What is your courage and uniqueness? What values are you willing to fight for? A good way to articulate these thoughts is to ask yourself the right questions:

How do you want to change the world?

What are you willing to do to achieve your goals?

What legacy does your brand want to leave for society?

What do you sincerely believe in?

What is your passion and love?

- what are you tired of and what do you oppose?

What are you fighting for?

A brand manifesto is never written alone. It should be a message from the whole team, a living voice of the people behind the company name. For a good result, a series of deep brainstorming sessions with the participation of the creative group will be required.

Correct language

Once you and your team decide on the central message of the manifesto (remember that question about trust), you can begin to develop its idea. One of the most inspiring speeches in world history began with the words "I have a dream." Martin Luther King's speech was effective because it referred to living emotions, feelings and beliefs. Agree that the message “I have a strategy” or “I have a task” would not find such a response from a wide audience.

With this in mind, try to use words in your manifesto that activate the imagination and call for action. Find phrases that will motivate people to delve into their own thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. You can look for literary references anywhere: in the dialogues of your favorite movie characters, poems, songs, or even customer reviews.

A good manifest should not be too long. The cumbersome syntax and too measured pace of the text will not allow you to control the reader's attention. Try to catch his interest from the very first line: use provocation directly or hide the true rebellious spirit under a non-standard metaphor.

The secret ingredient of the message is contact with the world of the reader. By using the pronouns “we” or “you” (time to check out the brand’s Tone of Voice), the company is on the same level with its consumer and gives him an important sense of ownership. With the help of direct appeal, we place the reader in the story, where he fully takes the place of the protagonist.

What's next

The finished text is half the way through the creation of the manifest. It is equally important to choose the correct form of the future message. In this matter, one should start from which channel of communication with the audience the company most often uses. Perhaps, as a millennial brand, you decide to broadcast the message through social networks, or you prefer to make it part of an entire advertising campaign - in the spirit of the largest corporations in the world.

And one more piece of advice for the future. Before you place your brainchild in the media space, ask yourself the question: do we ourselves believe in this? Can we make this our life motto? If the answer is a resounding yes, then your list of accomplishments has just been added to a new item - you have created a strong and honest brand manifesto.

It is these messages that can not only hook the consumer, but also rally the team in difficult times, intelligibly tell the newcomer how your company breathes and lives, and help find a way out in a difficult working situation.