The Brand Builds The Promise: Customer Experience DOES NOT Deliver! Why?

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Are we building expensive disappointment factories? Let me give you an example. How happy are you when you buy auto insurance? Personally, I am not happy. In fact, I feel resentful as I typically sense I have been taken advantage of in some way. 

To overcome this, several years ago, a UK insurance company produced an advert with the tagline ‘Quote me Happy’ to counter this perception. It is a great concept, but I can assure you, despite the advert, people remained unhappy! 

Another great example is the advertising you see on TV for burgers and what you get.  

This raises a fascinating question: What role does advertising play in the customer experience, and why is there such a big disconnect between the ads we see and what we actually get? 

Why is there a disconnect between advertising and the customer's actual experience, and what can be done about it?

In this week's podcast of The Intuitive Customer, we tackled this head-on with a special guest: Ben Shaw 🦍 the Chief Strategy Officer at a major advertising agency. MullenLowe. I know he knows what he is talking about, as he is also my son, and we have had this debate over many a family gathering. Follow ‘Brand Ben’ on TikTok:

The Expectation Gap: When Promises Don’t Match Reality

Advertising is powerful. It shapes perceptions, stirs emotions, and sets expectations. And in my view, that’s where the trouble begins. If a company’s marketing team paints an idyllic picture of their brand but their actual service doesn’t live up to it, customers can feel disappointed, which is not a great start to their customer experience.

So, why does this happen? The first is this shows a lack of true commitment by the senior team to the brand. I have always believed that ‘the Brand makes a promise in the market, and the Customer Experience delivers against that promise.’ In other words, the Brand is the strategic vehicle, and the role of the customer experience is to deliver against that. This doesn't happen often. 

The second issue is silos. Company marketers engage advertising agencies and come up with great concepts that are too often disconnected from the reality of the front line. The advertising team focuses on engagement and persuasion, while the customer experience team deals with the aftermath. What they should both be doing is saying how we can make our Brand manifest itself in our advertising AND our Customers' experience. 

The Role of Advertising in CX

Ben explained that advertising isn’t just about selling products; it’s about shaping perceptions. And sometimes, that means presenting an idealized version of what the customer experience should be. But when the actual experience doesn’t match up, disappointment sets in.

The danger is companies often think they can “fix” perception problems with more advertising. But if the fundamental customer experience is broken, they’re throwing money at a fire instead of putting it out.

This is why some of the best brands integrate advertising and CX into a single cohesive strategy. Instead of making empty promises, they set realistic expectations and then, crucially, deliver on them. Apple is an excellent example of this. Their “Privacy. That’s iPhone” campaign wasn’t just clever marketing but a strategic choice aligned with their product experience. Whether users actually tinker with their privacy settings is beside the point—the perception of security has been deeply ingrained in Apple’s brand.

Finding the Tension: The Secret Sauce of Good Marketing

In advertising, there’s a concept called “tension.” It’s the moment when customer desires clash with reality, creating a compelling insight. Ben explained that the best ad campaigns often start with a simple formula: Customers want X, but Y gets in the way. Ben introduced me to the concept of ‘BUT’, which is an excellent way of thinking this through. 

For example:

• People want a luxury car, BUT they hate dealing with pushy salespeople.
• People want to eat healthy BUT don’t have time to prepare meals.
• People want insurance, BUT they dread the hassle of getting a quote.

Great marketing taps into these tensions and offers a solution. However, if the solution is only perceived through advertising and not delivered in reality, it backfires. This is why brands need to ensure that customer experience aligns with the message they’re selling.

Bridging the Gap Between CX and Advertising

So, how do we fix this? How do we ensure advertising and customer experience work together rather than pulling in opposite directions?

1. Align the Brand and the CX The most customer-centric companies see CX and marketing as two sides of the same coin. Everything aligns when brand strategy drives product development, service design, and marketing.
2. Stop Overselling the Experience Customers would rather be pleasantly surprised than bitterly disappointed. Instead of overpromising, set honest, realistic expectations and then exceed them.
3. Get Marketing and CX Talking to Each Other Too often, marketing and CX teams operate in separate universes. Bring them together. Marketers can craft more authentic messaging if they understand the actual customer experience. Likewise, CX teams should be aware of what’s being promised so they can deliver on it.
4. Use Customer Insights to Drive Both Advertising and CX Understanding why customers buy (or don’t) should inform both advertising and CX strategy. If research shows that customers value ease of use, then both the marketing message and the actual service should reflect that.
5. Measure the Right Things Ad campaigns are often judged on engagement metrics—clicks, likes, and impressions. But what about customer satisfaction after the purchase? Brands should track whether the expectations set by marketing align with post-purchase sentiment.

The Future of Advertising and CX

The good news is that some brands are getting this right. We’re seeing a shift in which marketing executives become Chief Customer Officers, taking a more holistic view of the customer journey. However, for many companies, the disconnect remains.

Here’s the bottom line: If you’re spending millions on advertising but delivering a subpar experience, you’re not building a brand—you’re just running an expensive disappointment factory.

So, let’s close the gap. Ensure our marketing message isn’t just a fairy tale—it should be a promise you can keep. Ultimately, the best advertising isn’t what you say about your brand—it’s what your customers say when you’re not in the room!

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