As Brad VanAuken points out,a ‘Brand Promise’ is basically a compelling and differenciated benefit to the target audience.  This benefit essentially needs the following three qualities:

1 – it is extremely important to the target audience;

2 – your organization is uniquely suited to delivering it; and 

3 – competitors are not currently addressing it (nor is it easy for them to address it in the future).

Taking a step back for a minute, these are some pretty fundamental points.  If you are clever enough to actually achieve this, from a business strategy perspective, you’re really going to succeed.

From an IP perspective – sure – you had better protect those brands with a registered trade marks and appropriate use, etc.  Also, though even though this derives from a discussion about branding, it’s pretty easy to see how you can use intellectual property rights.  So for example, the core elements of this strategy – your unique ability to deliver something of extreme importance to yoru target audience (customers) – should be covered by patents and possibly registered designs, where appropriate.  As always, don’t stop there though.  Keep thinking deeply about, developing and improving this core (you will inevitably have to anyway, just to keep up with the market) – and keep filing new, relevant and robust IP rights to cover it.