Brand and claims check before publishing
Marketing copy is checked against banned claims and your brand guide before anyone can approve it.
LiveWhat does Brand Guardian do? Protect the brand and avoid regulatory trouble over claims, without slowing writers down.
How it works
Kinnow checks copy against two lists: a fixed list of banned exaggerated or unproven claims, and your own brand guide of tone and preferred or banned phrases. Only the banned-claims list can block, and only at approval, not while drafting. Each finding says which list it came from. Tone checks are advice only.
Editing your brand guide can't remove the banned-claims list, and a relaxed brand guide can't score its way past it.
Step by step
A marketing lead at a mid-sized company sets the rules once. Writers and reviewers then work as usual, and the check shows up at the right moments.
- Set your brand rules. On the Brand rules screen the marketing lead lists Words we like, Words we steer away from, Words we won't use, and any Disclaimer we must carry (for example a regulator's line on financial products). Each list holds up to 100 phrases.
- Writers try copy as they go. Paste a subject line or a paragraph into the box that says Try some copy against them and press Check copy. Nothing is saved or sent.
- Kinnow gives a plain reading. The result is Nothing flagged, Worth a look or Off brand. Each finding says whether it came from the Platform or from Yours, and which words triggered it.
- The draft goes for review. The writer submits the copy. The reviewer sees the same findings next to the draft, and can ask for changes with a written comment.
- Approval is the gate. When the reviewer presses Approve, Kinnow checks the copy against the platform's list of banned claims. If one is present, approval is refused and the phrase is named. Your own lists only produce findings for the reviewer to weigh.
- Approved copy goes out through the normal campaign and journey steps, and the approval chain you have set up still applies.
See your own brand guide and banned claims applied to a real campaign draft. Send us last quarter's email copy.
What you see on screen
The screen is called Brand rules, in Marketing campaigns (Reach).
- Platform rules, not editable: the fixed list of banned claims, shown so nobody is surprised. Examples are guaranteed, risk-free, cheapest, miracle, number one and best in the world.
- Your lists: Words we like (a guide, never a rule), Words we steer away from (flagged as a nudge), Words we won't use (flagged firmly) and Disclaimer we must carry.
- Check copy: the box that scores a draft. A banned platform claim adds the most weight; a missing disclaimer, one of your banned words and a word to steer away from add less. 20 or more reads Worth a look, and 50 or more, or any platform claim, reads Off brand.
- Words you could have used: a line listing words from your Words we like list that the draft did not use. It is a suggestion only.
- Approval refusal: a message saying the copy makes a claim the brand system forbids, with the phrase.
Who uses it
| Who | When | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing lead or brand owner | Once, then when the guide changes | Sets the lists and the disclaimer. |
| Copywriter | While drafting | Pastes drafts into Check copy and rewrites before submitting. |
| Reviewer or approver | At approval | Reads findings, requests changes, approves or is stopped by a banned claim. |
| Compliance officer | Occasionally | Confirms that the disclaimer line matches what the regulator expects. |
Related
- Reach: campaigns, journeys, audiences and the Brand rules screen.
- Brand Guardian: the related page for this check.
- Marketing that cannot break consent law: the sending-side checks.
- Consent and deliverability gate: described as it will work, and validated with each client.
Questions
What is Brand Guardian in Kinnow?
Marketing copy is checked against banned claims and your brand guide before anyone can approve it.
What changes for the business?
Protect the brand and avoid regulatory trouble over claims, without slowing writers down.
Is it available today?
Yes, it is live.
Can we add our own banned phrases?
Yes. Words we won't use is your own list, and it is flagged firmly in the findings. It informs the reviewer but does not block approval. The platform's list of banned claims is separate and cannot be changed.
Why was my copy stopped when the claim was true?
The platform list is about unproven superlatives, so it does not weigh whether a claim is true. Say what you can evidence, for example the figure and its source, in place of a word such as guaranteed or cheapest.
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