3.07 Before doing business with the company

There are many touch points that occur before a customer and a business “meet” for the first time. Examples of these touch points include:

• Advertisements (TV, radio, Internet, newspaper, magazine, billboards, flyers, direct mail, etc.)
• Publicity (unsponsored mentions of the brand or business in the news)
• Word-of-mouth marketing (what other customers are saying)

At this point in the process, a business wants its touch points to increase brand awareness, shape customers’ expectations of the brand promise, and show them the benefits they’ll receive by initiating a relationship with the company.

Dorothy Crenshaw highlights the importance of public relations in branding in her article “Six Ways to Use Public Relations to Build Brands Links to an external site.." How does this relate to brand promise?