Kristin Zhivago captured the concept well in an article that she wrote for Business Marketing. She said:

"A brand is not an icon, a slogan, or a mission statement. It is a promise — a promise your company can keep. First you find out, using research, what promises your customers want companies like yours to make and keep, using the products, processes and people in your company. Then you look at your competition and decide which promise would give you the best competitive advantage. This is the promise you make and keep in every marketing activity, every action, every corporate decision, and every customer interaction. You promote it internally and externally. The promise drives budgets and stops arguments. If everyone in the company knows what the promise is, and knows that they will be rewarded or punished depending on the personal commitment to the promise, politics and personal turf issues start to disappear."

Here are some of the most common problems that organizations encounter when trying to implement new brand management programs:

• Senior management is not focused on the brand
• Senior management has a short attention span — how do we garner their support and resources over time?
• Some senior leaders do not seem to be bought into the brand management concept at all
• The organization is highly fragmented and resistant to change
• The organization is internally focused
• The organization's culture does not reinforce the brand
• The organization's operations and systems do not support the brand
• The brand message is only one of many among all the corporate messages 

How do we shift people's focus from their functional "silos" to cross-functional ownership of the brand? To create the change required, all of the following must be addressed:

• Corporate mission and vision — are they congruent with the brand essence and promise?
• Business planning process — is it linked to the brand planning process?
  Corporate culture, values and behaviour — do they support the brand essence, promise and personality?
• Recruitment — are you screening people for delivery against the brand promise?
  Internal communication vehicles — are you using them to communicate brand positioning, strategies and priorities?
• Training and development — are you using these to increase understanding of brand positioning, strategies and priorities?
• Performance objectives (especially common objectives) — do they include brand objectives?
• Performance appraisal — do you provide feedback on how well individuals and groups are delivering against the brand promise?
• Rewards and recognition — do you reward and recognize people who have furthered important brand goals?
• Do you compensate people for achievement of brand objectives?
• Products and services — do they deliver against the brand promise?
• Operations, systems and logistics — do they support delivery of the brand promise?