AD BEING

From 2004.

I got a nice note last week from a junior copywriter who was seeking advice on how to write brand manifestos. As he put it, “Writing manifestos is no easy task, yet I’m being asked to write more and more and churn them out faster and faster.” Yes, like so many things in advertising, manifestos have gone from being a delightful added service to being a standard expectation.

The first thing to do when you’re asked to write a manifesto is to ask whether the public will see it or if it’s just for internal consumption. The answer to that question will absolutely determine your priorities as you get down to work. More about that in a minute.

The purpose of any brand manifesto is to link the brand to a higher cause, to a set of beliefs that is nobler and loftier than the basic function of the product would suggest. Here are the public-facing manifestos done several years ago for, respectively, Levi’s, Adidas and Harley-Davidson.

You’ll notice that these manifestos scarcely mention the product, if at all. Rather, they’re all about human drives that are both universal and deeply personal. Another thing you’ll notice is that the writing style of most manifestos is so recognizable that it has become a cliché. Here’s a funny parody done a few years ago by Kim Mok:

A manifesto that will be seen by the public should be written with certain principles in mind. You should be expressing a belief system, one that could serve as a philosophy for a life well lived. (That’s why so many manifestos repeat “We believe…”) You should also think in terms of “us against them,” because a good manifesto defines and empowers a cultural tribe, setting it apart from the rest of society. It should build to an emotional climax, one that would make an ordinary person say, “Yes! That’s me! They get me!” And, finally (and this is the most important one), a public-facing manifesto should be completely devoted to expressing the beliefs and ideals of its cultural tribe. It is NOT about anyone’s excellent products. If it mentions the excellent products at all, it is only in passing, and only in support of the larger rallying cry.

To illustrate the importance of that last point, let’s look at two manifestos that were both done for Apple. The first is from 1997:

That first Apple manifesto lives on today, and deservedly so. This second manifesto, done in 2013, was mercilessly ridiculed and then quickly forgotten:

This second manifesto was obviously written as a client-facing document. Someone flattered themselves into thinking the public might enjoy it, too. This was a mistake.

Writing a client-facing manifesto is easy, because the only mission you need to articulate is that of the people in the boardroom. You describe their relentless, passionate commitment to whatever, list the products that demonstrate that passionate commitment, and then you’re done. In short, a client-facing manifesto is really all about the client.