For successful diversified brands there are three strategies – (a) they find and constantly reinforce the golden thread that knits together their diverse businesses, e.g. design in the case of Sony, (b) they invest in building high credibility personalities Links of London Necklaces, e.g. trustworthiness, leadership, intelligence, (c) they systematically leverage their brands by cross-selling products to customers and by restructuring industries where existing brands are weak.

At another level, however, there is the simpler message – whatever you do with your brand, don’t betray the customer.

According to a new book, (’Brand Manners’ published by Wiley), the brand promise has four attributes: The rational, practical, benefits; the emotional – how ownership makes you feel about yourself; the political – e.g. what it is doing for the environment or for children in Taiwanese sweatshops; and the spiritual, such as those espoused by the Body Shop Links of London Bracelets.

The Chief Executive, management and staff must align the internal values of the company with the external values of its brands. When the resulting ‘brand manners’ govern corporate behaviour, the company is by definition keeping its promise to its customers.