What activities do you do you that either enhance your brand or detract from it? John Moore reports on how Starbucks uses a “Brand Checkbook” where it measures “brand credits” and “brand debits”. Brand credits are given to business activities that enhance its reputation and perception while debits are the opposite. Starbucks evaluates any marketing activity along these lines and measures them against these questions:

• Does the marketing activity respect the intelligence of Starbucks customers?
• Can Starbucks expertly deliver on all the promises made to customers in the proposed activity?
• Will Starbucks employees be excited and motivated by the activity?
• Will customers view the marketing activity as being clever, original, genuine, and authentic?

You can do the same thing when determining what marketing activities to pursue and how it relates to your brand. This practice can only help deliver a better understanding of your customers and the impact of your activities. Customers have an emotional investment in the brands they choose. Along with that comes expectations. Starbucks’s checkbook evaluation process is an easy one to implement to ensure your marketing is consistent with your brand.

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