What is a Brand Mantra? 3 Examples to Inspire You

What is a Brand Mantra?

A brand mantra is a short, memorable internal statement that captures the core of what a brand stands for—its purpose, promise, and unique value—so teams stay aligned in how they build, talk about, and deliver the brand.

A brand mantra is a company’s primary positioning and stake-in-the-ground message. It is the foundation of how a brand scales, what a company takes pride in, and an indicator of the trajectory of a particular brand. 

Showcasing this mantra dictates how your company is perceived and shapes the direction of the culture of your employees. 
Businesses trying to distill their values in a brand mantra should consider their beliefs, goals, and mission. 

Create Your Brand Mantra in 4 Steps

Your mantra must be digestible and clear while encompassing the true value of your brand. Every word matters, so choose or omit carefully. 

This statement should not be a long paragraph or run-on sentence, but rather a concise message that showcases your brand’s driving purpose. 
Avoid whimsical words and fluff and use straightforward language that has depth and meaning. 

Crafting a strong mantra becomes much easier when you break it into a few clear steps. This process helps you move from abstract ideas to a concise phrase that captures your brand’s essence.

1. Identify Your Audience

Start with your core audience, which is the group that benefits most from what you offer. Focusing on a specific person helps keep your mantra grounded in real needs.

2. Define Your Unique Value 

Pinpoint what your brand consistently does better or differently than others. Look for the intersection between what your audience cares about and what you uniquely provide.

3. Clarify the Experience 

Beyond function, think about emotion. Your mantra should reflect the feeling you want customers and internal teams to associate with your brand every time they interact with it.

4. Distill It Into a Short, Memorable Phrase

Combine the ideas above into a handful of words that express your brand’s core. 

You can also think of your mantra creation using this simple visual formula: (Who you serve) + (What you do best) + (How it should feel) = Your mantra
Keep it simple enough that every team member can recall it instantly and use it to guide decisions.

Showcase Your Brand’s Value Consistently with a Brand Mantra

Your staff should resonate with this mantra, and it should be easy to remember to guide their actions on a day-to-day basis. This should be embraced by every member of your team, at every touchpoint of your company. From the executive suite to a newly hired intern, this mantra should be clear and practiced throughout your operations. 

For example, BMW is the "ultimate driving machine", or Disney, "fun, family entertainment". These two iconic brands have simple, short mantras, yet the entire world identifies with the message behind them.  

When your mantra is clear and understood by both external and internal shareholders, you are doing something right. 

A Brand Mantra Is Built to Last

As a brand grows and transforms, so does its voice in its industry and the world. Thus, a brand’s mantra may change depending on its position in the market. 

It’s important to state that mantras are not elusive or shallow, and they do not casually come and go as industry trends change. Instead, they are built to stand the test of time and be built on a foundation of beliefs and values that will last years – not months – and evolve as the business climate changes.

Nike’s renewed "Just Do It" campaign features ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, representing boldness, decisiveness, doing what you believe, and showing no mercy. With Nike celebrating the campaign’s 30th anniversary, it was a great concept to get more eyeballs on Nike and also reinforced what the brand believes in. 

It’s emotive, and that’s what the best PR and marketing campaigns need to be. 

 
Your mantra needs to be reflective of what your brand was established upon but remains relevant in today’s climate. “Just Do It” empowered athletes to achieve excellence decades ago and is still a calling card for equality on and off the field. 

A brand mantra should stay fresh while respecting the company’s origins.

3 Brand Mantra Examples

Brand mantras come to life when you see how real companies use them. The best ones are simple, memorable, and tightly connected to the brand’s core promise. They guide big-picture decisions, shape everyday interactions, and help teams stay aligned as the brand grows and shifts. Here are three well-known examples that show how a strong mantra can influence everything from product design to customer experience.

Apple

Apple used its brand mantra, “Think Different,” as a slogan from 1997–2002, but it can still be seen on some product boxes. While it was initially used as a slogan, it perfectly sums up Apple’s brand values. Known for their creativity and ingenuity, Apple encourages its engineers, designers, and other innovators to come up with revolutionary products and ideas. 

Disney

Disney’s brand mantra is “Fun, family entertainment,” and it drives a lot of business decisions. Disney has created a brand image that is focused on being family-friendly. To most, this means that their content is age-appropriate, not particularly violent, and clean. 

This is very appealing for Disney’s main audience — families with young kids. Parents can trust that while watching a Disney movie or visiting a Disney theme park, their children will be safe.

Starbucks 

Starbucks follows the mantra, “To inspire and nurture the human spirit- one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.” Rather than focusing on big-picture items like how many cups of coffee they sell or how many locations they have, they focus on pleasing one customer at a time. 

This brand mantra is reflected in how Starbucks operates. To ensure that customers are always happy with their experience, they provide uniformity across all of their locations. Customers can go to any Starbucks — whether they’re in Seattle, Washington, or Binghamton, Alabama — and get the same high-quality coffee and customer service. In doing so, they build brand loyalty.

Revolutionize Your Business with a Brand Mantra

A great mantra defines a brand and makes it distinct, helping it stand out in a competitive marketplace. It evokes meaningful conversations and motivates employees, clients, and partners. It also drives every touchpoint and communication of your company and has broad impacts that stretch far beyond the realm of marketing and PR. 

From customer experiences to sales meetings, your mantra will shine through and clearly distinguish your brand. People want to align with companies that have solid, positive beliefs – your company’s mantra fills that desire.

Additional Reading

• How to Create a Color Palette for Your Brand
• 6 Ways to Increase Your Brand's Customer Engagement
• Brand Storytelling for Growth: Strategy, ROI, and Results

About the Author

Sarah Tourville CEO & Founder at FRENZY

I am the CEO and founder of Media Frenzy Global, a Top 100 Elite agency that builds recognition and accelerates global market growth for B2B brands by unifying PR, creative services, marketing, planning and strategy. Our purpose is to give innovative brands a voice to tell their story and be heard against their largest competitors. Since starting Media Frenzy Global stateside in 2013, my leadership has enabled thousands of brands to disrupt their industry and grow share of voice.   

I'm a regular contributor to Forbes on communication best practices and agency growth and an advocate for women in business, female entrepreneurship, and leadership. I'm the Co Communications Board Chair of the Atlanta Chapter Entrepreneur's Organization, the host of the EO Atlanta Taking Flight podcast, VP of Communications for the American Marketing Association in Atlanta and an Advisory Board Member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber. 



 

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