The Basics and Value of Brand Personality
Back in the day a cool cat (yeah, that far back) named Ray Price wrote a song about personality and these were the lyrics
Personal Bottom of Form
Personality Lyrics
Over and over
I tried to prove my love to you
Over and over
What more can I do
Over and over,
My friend says I’m a fool,
But over and over,
I’ll be a fool for you.
Cause you got personality
Walk (with personality)
Talk (with personality)
Smile (with personality)
Charm (with personality)
Etc.”
Great! Now let’s reconsider the song for:
Lyrics Brand Personality for Business
Over and over
I tried to earn your love
But over and over
You gave my love a shove.But now I’m back with:
Brand personalit
Grand personality
Personality just like yours
So pick me instead of those jerks
Who are really a bunch of bores.
Let’s define terms: what is Brand Personality anyway? According to accepted authorities, the term “brand personality” refers to a set of human characteristics that are attributed to the name of a brand and whatever product or service they’re selling. According to Investopedia an effective brand increases its equity in the marketplace by portraying a consistent set of traits that a specific segment of the market admires or enjoys or thinks is cool, nifty and has value. “This personality, Investopedia notes, “is a qualitative value-add that a brand gains in addition to its functional benefits. As such, a brand personality is something to which a consumer can relate.”
A brand personality offers the following benefits:
- It makes you more human and approachable
- It adds character and depth to your brand
- It differentiates your brand from the competition
- Creates an emotional connection, which can lead to brand loyalty
We’ve searched the internet and most marketers agree about the following five human characteristics that are used to create brand personalities: FYI, we have no idea who Aker is, but she/he must have been pretty sharp as a thinker and must have had one hellofva personality. Note that we’ll list the attributes and provide a product that presents and leverages those characteristics.
https://www.isbewonders.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Hubble-5.jpg
Sincerity: Okay, when it comes to products, Dove Soap is all about sincerity–wholesomeness, honest cleanliness, natural ingredients with even a touch of cleansing cream.
Excitement: Red Bull is portrayed as so exciting and energizing it can keep you up for weeks. Their slogan is “Red Bull gives you wings” and the wings may be from hummingbirds.
Competence: The Allstate guy, Dennis Haysbert wins in the competence category hands down. (Get it?)
Sophistication: Our selection for sophistication has got to be Charlize Theron whom we adore for Dior.
Ruggedness: What can we say except the personification of ruggedness in our estimation is captured on TV by the guy known as “the most interesting man in the world.” And you have to love the messaging associated with his image. The commercial voice over says, “When in Rome they do as he does. In a past life he was himself. His fortune cookie simply reads, ‘Congratulations!’ He can slam a revolving door. He’s the most interesting man in the world and he doesn’t always drink beer, but when he does he prefers Dos Equis and he never drinks just one, he drink dos.
How to Create Your Own Brand Personality
Think deeply about your target customers
It really all boils down to presenting yourself – authentically – (and that’s the magic word) in ways that will appeal to your target market. This means understanding your target audience and maybe that requires doing some research. If you’re selling Crocs, walk a mile in their customer’s shoes (or whatever the heck crocs are).
When it comes to other brands, make an assessment of what their primary target customer likes. Are they sophisticated or down to earth? How do they dress? Are they jeans folk or do they assemble ensembles to go to the bathroom? If you want to sell to that person, let your brand take on characteristics you believe would appeal to them. But here’s the secret (shhh), there has to be some direct, logical relationship between the personality (persona) of the brand and product functionality. If you’re a digital marketing company like Digipanda, why have a personality associated with a panda bear? The persona may be warm and fuzzy and cute and approachable, but what does a panda have to do with the digital world? We’re a bit bamboozled by that.
To better understand how you can present your brand personality, you might want to consider these components of a brand identify.
- Color scheme. Cool, designer types know that color impacts brand image to a huge extent. Each color elicits a specific emotional response from your audience, which is why brands with some industries pick the same colors. A funeral home is not going to pick yellow. You can read more about the meanings of colors here, or jump straight to how colors apply to marketing here. (courtesy of “99 designs”)
- What about shapes?
- Brand Voice
Since you do have a choice, pick the right brand voice. If you have a rugged product, outdoorsy, or wild west – beef jerky maybe – you want a voice like Sam Elliott who starred in the TV series 1883. Morgan Freeman (our other hero) is the voice for Visa. And if you want a meaty voice, you’ve got to pick Ving Rhames who has the meats at Arby’s.
- Typography
According to 99 Designs, how your text looks is as important as what it says. “The fonts, styles and sizes of your typography can communicate a personality in their own way, independent of the words they represent.
That’s all for now, major fans of the Miner Agency. Remember, If you’re not content with your business growth, don’t miss out, act now, contact the Miner Agency in Georgia immediately, or sooner than that to spark growth that dwarfs the Jolly Green Giant. Headed by Chrissy Miner, it’s the place to go for tailored, cost-effective solutions that support your business and communication objectives. You’re supported by an entire team, including Jada, Dana, Sara. Maddy, Raigan, Alex and David. I’m writer, Jim Ardito, part of the team too and Theit’s an honor. Thanks Chrissy
