Premise, promise, proof
Notes and perspectives from the Value Proposition Studio.
Notes from the studio.
01 / Premise, promise, proof
Positioning · Sep 21, 2026
Lululemon: a premise written by yoga teachers, and what happens when it gets wider
Lululemon grew by recruiting local instructors as the face of each store and selling to people who practised. Between 2024 and 2026 its home market stalled, rivals took share and the founder fought the board. A case on premise and the cost of widening it.
Read articlePremise, promise, proof · Sep 13, 2026
Blockbuster earned millions from late fees and paid for them with its promise
In 2000 Blockbuster collected about 800 million dollars in late fees and turned down the chance to buy Netflix for 50 million. A case on a revenue line that worked against the promise it was meant to serve.
Premise, promise, proof · Sep 9, 2026
No Man's Sky paid for its launch promise in a week and repaid it over ten years
Hello Games launched No Man's Sky in August 2016 below what players had been led to expect, then spent a decade adding free updates until the game reached its highest player numbers. A case on the expectations gap and the slow arithmetic of proof.
Core values · Aug 21, 2026
Brunello Cucinelli: a value proposition built as a village
Cucinelli sells cashmere at the top of luxury and declares a philosophy of dignified work, then pays for it in wages, buildings and a school. A case on core values, costly proof, and what a short seller's report tests.
Lululemon: a premise written by yoga teachers, and what happens when it gets wider
Lululemon grew by recruiting local instructors as the face of each store and selling to people who practised. Between 2024 and 2026 its home market stalled, rivals took share and the founder fought the board. A case on premise and the cost of widening it.
Positioning · Channels · Premise, promise, proof · In the news
Read articleBlockbuster earned millions from late fees and paid for them with its promise
In 2000 Blockbuster collected about 800 million dollars in late fees and turned down the chance to buy Netflix for 50 million. A case on a revenue line that worked against the promise it was meant to serve.
Premise, promise, proof · Pricing and scarcity · Autopsy · Brand history
Read articleNo Man's Sky paid for its launch promise in a week and repaid it over ten years
Hello Games launched No Man's Sky in August 2016 below what players had been led to expect, then spent a decade adding free updates until the game reached its highest player numbers. A case on the expectations gap and the slow arithmetic of proof.
Premise, promise, proof · Autopsy · Brand history
Read articleBrunello Cucinelli: a value proposition built as a village
Cucinelli sells cashmere at the top of luxury and declares a philosophy of dignified work, then pays for it in wages, buildings and a school. A case on core values, costly proof, and what a short seller's report tests.
Core values · Premise, promise, proof · Moat · In the news
Read articleSwatch in 1983: the cheap plastic watch that changed what Swiss meant
In March 1983, with the Swiss watch industry shrinking under cheap quartz competition, a plastic watch with 51 parts went on sale in Zurich. A brand history on category design, and on proof built into the way a product is made.
Category design · Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read articleBack to Starbucks: the room was the promise customers paid for
Brian Niccol became Starbucks' chief executive in September 2024 and launched Back to Starbucks: a shorter menu, ceramic mugs, handwritten notes and more staff. A case on the third place as the brand's original promise.
Premise, promise, proof · Positioning · In the news
Read articleSouthwest made free bags a promise, then started charging for them
In March 2025 Southwest Airlines announced fees for checked bags after years of advertising that they flew free, and in January 2026 it ended open seating. A case on what a brand loses when the promise it breaks was also its proof.
Premise, promise, proof · Core values · Pricing and scarcity · In the news
Read articleCostco: a membership card as the premise, a hot dog as the proof
Costco charges people for the right to shop, and has kept its hot dog and soda at 1.50 dollars since 1985. A case on a premise customers pay to accept, and on a proof anyone can check at the exit.
Pricing and scarcity · Positioning · Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read articleMoncler: how a down jacket for mountaineers climbed into luxury
Moncler was born in 1952 to equip people working at altitude. Under Remo Ruffini, from 2003, it became a luxury group with revenue above three billion euros. A case on climbing the Promise Ladder while keeping the first rung.
Premise, promise, proof · Core values · Brand history
Read articleGorillas: groceries in ten minutes, and the questions the promise raised
Gorillas became a unicorn in under a year by promising groceries in about ten minutes, then cut jobs and was sold within two. A case on a benefit so strong that customers started looking for the catch.
Premise, promise, proof · Autopsy · In the news
Read articleOn Running: a shoe that wears its proof, and a champion who paid to join
A Swiss start-up entered a running market led by giants, put its technology on the outside of the sole and took Roger Federer as a shareholder. A case on visible proof and the weight of an investor's money.
Category design · Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read articleBurberry went back to the trench coat, one rung down the ladder
After a hard 2023 and 2024, a new chief executive and an exit from the FTSE 100, Burberry's Burberry Forward plan returned to outerwear and British heritage. A case on core values and on the Promise Ladder of luxury.
Premise, promise, proof · Core values · In the news
Read articleOld Spice talked to the woman holding the basket, and an old brand found a new voice
In February 2010 Old Spice launched an ad that addressed women about a men's body wash, and turned seventy years of age into a claim of experience. A case on choosing the recipient of a promise when the buyer and the user are different people.
Rebrand · Premise, promise, proof · Positioning · Brand history
Read articleAstronomer: the whole world learned the name, and nobody knew what it sold
A Coldplay kiss cam made a data software company famous overnight in July 2025. A case on awareness without a proposition, and on how Astronomer pointed the attention back to its product.
Channels · Premise, promise, proof · In the news
Read articleAmerican Eagle: a promise about jeans, and the noise that came with it
In summer 2025 American Eagle built a campaign on a pun, 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans', and found itself in the middle of a culture fight. A case on what the promise was, and what the channel noise added and cost.
Channels · Premise, promise, proof · In the news
Read articleAirbnb's Belong Anywhere: a value promise, and the fees at the last screen
In 2014 Airbnb rebuilt its brand around belonging. Over the following decade cleaning fees and checkout chores tested that promise, until the company changed how it shows prices. A case on core values and proof.
Core values · Premise, promise, proof · Rebrand · Brand history
Read articleBarilla: the brand that promised home, at home and abroad
In Italy Barilla sells the family table; in the United States it sells Italy. A case on a fourth-rung promise, the narrow room it leaves, and what happens when a promise built for one market is read in another.
Premise, promise, proof · Channels · Core values · Brand history
Read articleRyanair tells some customers no, and fills its planes with the rest
Ryanair has never pretended to offer comfort: a low fare, a paid extra for everything else, and a social media voice that teases its own passengers. A case on the premise as a business model, and on how far a premise can be stretched.
Positioning · Premise, promise, proof · Pricing and scarcity
Read articleFerrari builds one car fewer than the market wants, and the wait is part of the car
Ferrari has kept supply below demand for decades, with waiting lists and limited series offered to buyers chosen by their history with the brand. A case on scarcity as part of the promise, and on a moat made of time.
Moat · Pricing and scarcity · Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read articleIntel Inside: how a part nobody sees became a reason to buy
In 1991 Intel began paying PC makers to put its name on their ads and their machines. A case on proving an invisible component, borrowing the shelf of your customers, and what visibility costs when something goes wrong.
Premise, promise, proof · Channels · Brand history
Read articleWeWork promised a higher consciousness and signed fifteen-year leases
WeWork reached a 47 billion dollar valuation in January 2019, withdrew its IPO that September and filed for bankruptcy in November 2023. A case on a promise, an offer and a business model that described three different companies.
Premise, promise, proof · Positioning · Autopsy · In the news
Read articleDomino's read its worst reviews on air, and the new recipe did the rest
In December 2009 Domino's ran ads in which its own executives read customers calling the pizza tasteless, then changed a recipe it had used for decades. A case on closing the gap between promise and perception, and on why the admission only worked because the product changed.
Premise, promise, proof · Positioning · Brand history
Read articleVolvo gave away its best safety invention, and made safety its moat
In 1959 Volvo fitted Nils Bohlin's three-point seatbelt and opened the patent to other carmakers. A case on proof as the moat behind a promise, and on what it costs to keep one for sixty years.
Premise, promise, proof · Moat · Brand history
Read articleKFC's 'FCK': a chicken chain without chicken, and an apology that waited for the fix
In February 2018 a change of delivery partner closed most of KFC's restaurants in the UK. A week later the chain apologised with three rearranged letters on an empty bucket. A case on repairing a broken promise in the right order.
Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read articleStanley Quencher: same factory, new channel, a brand people wear
Stanley went from roughly 70 to 750 million without changing the product. A case on Cultural Resonance, the fourth rung of the Promise Ladder, and on what the channel does to a promise.
Premise, promise, proof · Channels · In the news
Read articleVolkswagen, 'Think Small': a premise that told most buyers to look elsewhere
In 1959 Doyle Dane Bernbach sold the Beetle to an America that wanted big cars by saying plainly what the car was. A case on an honest premise, a refused value, and proof you can picture.
Positioning · Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read articlePatagonia told customers not to buy its jacket, then gave the company away
On Black Friday 2011 Patagonia ran a full-page ad in The New York Times that said 'Don't Buy This Jacket'. In 2022 its owners transferred the company to a trust and a nonprofit. A case on proofs that cost, and values that hold under pressure.
Core values · Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read articleZara: speed is the promise, and the factory next door is the proof
Zara built its value proposition on newness, then made the supply chain carry the evidence: design near the stores, production close to Spain, deliveries twice a week. A case on proof that lives in operations.
Premise, promise, proof · Moat · Channels · Brand history
Read articleNintendo Switch 2: the moat drained by the purchasing department
With the Game-Key Card, Nintendo turned the cartridge into a key that points to a download. A lesson in how companies empty their own moats.
Moat · Premise, promise, proof · In the news
Read articleLiquid Death: the canned water that wins by telling you to go away
Liquid Death turned the purest commodity there is into a 1.4 billion brand with no product advantage. Its real asset is a premise that repels.
Premise, promise, proof · Positioning · In the news
Read articleGoogle Stadia: a promise of faith from a company with a public record of closures
Stadia launched in November 2019 as console-free gaming in the cloud and closed in January 2023 with full refunds. A case on adoption, and on trust as an asset a company carries into every launch.
Adoption · Premise, promise, proof · Autopsy · Brand history
Read articleJaguar Type 00 and the rungs a brand cannot skip
Jaguar replaced its whole value set in one stroke and claimed an identity it had no proof for. Read through the Promise Ladder, the rebrand is a jump over every rung in between.
Premise, promise, proof · Rebrand · Autopsy · In the news
Read articleAbsolut: twenty-five years of ads about a bottle
From 1980 TBWA ran more than 1,500 print ads for Absolut, and nearly every one starred the bottle. A case on a product you cannot see, an asset you can, and the discipline of one format.
Moat · Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read articleGillette, 2019: one word kept, a value changed, and a split audience
In January 2019 Gillette turned its thirty-year slogan into a question about men's behaviour. A case on evolving a core value, and on the risk of jumping to a new one in a single film.
Core values · Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read articleErewhon: the 20 dollar smoothie that proves what it promises
A Los Angeles grocer sells celebrity smoothies at around 20 dollars and people film themselves buying them. A case on price as proof of a promise, and on where Erewhon sits on the Promise Ladder.
Pricing and scarcity · Premise, promise, proof · In the news
Read articleBurger King's Moldy Whopper: an ad that let the product rot
In February 2020 Burger King filmed a Whopper decaying for over a month to announce it had removed artificial preservatives. A case on proof that costs the brand something, and on what such a proof commits you to.
Premise, promise, proof · Positioning · Brand history
Read articleBarbie: the film that turned a doll into a franchise Mattel could tell
In July 2023 Greta Gerwig's Barbie became the year's biggest film, and Mattel presented it as proof that its toys are intellectual property. A case on portfolio rhyming and on the cultural promise a franchise then has to keep.
Portfolio and rhyming · Premise, promise, proof · In the news
Read articleAvis, 'We try harder': a promise built on admitting you are second
In 1962 Avis told America it was only number two in car rental and turned that into its reason to be chosen. A case on an honest premise, a promise you can check, and the risks of defining yourself against the leader.
Positioning · Premise, promise, proof · Brand history
Read article- 01Lululemon: a premise written by yoga teachers, and what happens when it gets widerPositioning
- 02Blockbuster earned millions from late fees and paid for them with its promisePremise, promise, proof
- 03No Man's Sky paid for its launch promise in a week and repaid it over ten yearsPremise, promise, proof
- 04Brunello Cucinelli: a value proposition built as a villageCore values
- 05Swatch in 1983: the cheap plastic watch that changed what Swiss meantCategory design
- 06Back to Starbucks: the room was the promise customers paid forPremise, promise, proof
- 07Southwest made free bags a promise, then started charging for themPremise, promise, proof
- 08Costco: a membership card as the premise, a hot dog as the proofPricing and scarcity
- 09Moncler: how a down jacket for mountaineers climbed into luxuryPremise, promise, proof
- 10Gorillas: groceries in ten minutes, and the questions the promise raisedPremise, promise, proof
- 11On Running: a shoe that wears its proof, and a champion who paid to joinCategory design
- 12Burberry went back to the trench coat, one rung down the ladderPremise, promise, proof
- 13Old Spice talked to the woman holding the basket, and an old brand found a new voiceRebrand
- 14Astronomer: the whole world learned the name, and nobody knew what it soldChannels
- 15American Eagle: a promise about jeans, and the noise that came with itChannels
- 16Airbnb's Belong Anywhere: a value promise, and the fees at the last screenCore values
- 17Barilla: the brand that promised home, at home and abroadPremise, promise, proof
- 18Ryanair tells some customers no, and fills its planes with the restPositioning
- 19Ferrari builds one car fewer than the market wants, and the wait is part of the carMoat
- 20Intel Inside: how a part nobody sees became a reason to buyPremise, promise, proof
- 21WeWork promised a higher consciousness and signed fifteen-year leasesPremise, promise, proof
- 22Domino's read its worst reviews on air, and the new recipe did the restPremise, promise, proof
- 23Volvo gave away its best safety invention, and made safety its moatPremise, promise, proof
- 24KFC's 'FCK': a chicken chain without chicken, and an apology that waited for the fixPremise, promise, proof
- 25Stanley Quencher: same factory, new channel, a brand people wearPremise, promise, proof
- 26Volkswagen, 'Think Small': a premise that told most buyers to look elsewherePositioning
- 27Patagonia told customers not to buy its jacket, then gave the company awayCore values
- 28Zara: speed is the promise, and the factory next door is the proofPremise, promise, proof
- 29Nintendo Switch 2: the moat drained by the purchasing departmentMoat
- 30Liquid Death: the canned water that wins by telling you to go awayPremise, promise, proof
- 31Google Stadia: a promise of faith from a company with a public record of closuresAdoption
- 32Jaguar Type 00 and the rungs a brand cannot skipPremise, promise, proof
- 33Absolut: twenty-five years of ads about a bottleMoat
- 34Gillette, 2019: one word kept, a value changed, and a split audienceCore values
- 35Erewhon: the 20 dollar smoothie that proves what it promisesPricing and scarcity
- 36Burger King's Moldy Whopper: an ad that let the product rotPremise, promise, proof
- 37Barbie: the film that turned a doll into a franchise Mattel could tellPortfolio and rhyming
- 38Avis, 'We try harder': a promise built on admitting you are secondPositioning