We subject each of our client’s brands to a very simple test. (The test is simple but what it measures is seldom easy to achieve.) I call it the CUB test. “C” stands for compelling, “U” stands for unique and “B” stands for believable.  That is, the most effective brands almost always promise compelling, unique and believable benefits to their target customers.

C = Compelling
U = Unique
B = Believable

You can test this by asking the following three questions about each current or potential brand promise:

COMPELLING: How important is [brand promise] when selecting a [category name] brand?
UNIQUE: (Ask this question for each competitive brand.) How well does this brand deliver on [brand promise]?
BELIEVABLE: (Ask this question for your brand.) How well does this brand deliver on [brand promise]?

A brand will not succeed if its promise is not important, compelling or purchase motivating. Nor will it succeed if the promise is not believable for your brand. And, the promise will not differentiate your brand if it is not unique to your brand.

When we are asked to help reposition a brand, we evaluate each potential brand promise against the CUB criteria. We almost always select the promise that has the highest CUB score.

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