Bragging is often frowned upon these days. Social media brought to the forefront what most ad agencies already knew: it’s all about the customer, not about the product. But some brands have earned the right to brag.

Take Reese’s for example. They are perhaps the only brand that can get away with the one-word tagline: Perfect. Their TV spots over the past few years are simply reminders of why Reese’s earned the right to have that tagline. And really, can you argue with their logic?

But alas, not all brands are created equal. Reese’s can say they’re perfect only because its customers have deemed it so.

Certainly a younger brand (or one that doesn’t offer their version of the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter) would be considered arrogant for using the same tagline. Or putting the word “best” in front of their offering. We’ve all seen displays like this at fairs:

But we all know that it’s not really the best sundae in the world. There’s probably a better sundae right down the block from where you live.

Well the same often goes for restaurants, car dealers, banks, you name it. You may think you’re the best in your category, and maybe you are among your core users, but words like “best” and “leader” are often lost on customers who aren’t aware of you. They want you to answer a simple question: What’s in it for me?

In essence, what differentiates you from your competitors? And the only way to find that out is research. What exactly is it that makes you the best? What do you do for your customers?

Only when you know the answers to those questions is there even a possibility that you’ve earned bragging rights.

And if you have, that doesn’t mean you have to exercise them. When Apple introduced the iPod, which was, is, and always will be the best MP3 player on the market, they didn’t brag about it. They just showed you how you feel when you use the product. And they hit the nail right on the head (which is more than I can say for their latest campaign, but that’s a story for another day).