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Why Brand Personality is Crucial for Brands to Market Better

Stuart Crawford

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There are many things to consider when you develop your brand personality. You can find some tips for building a good brand personality here.

Why Brand Personality is Crucial for Brands to Market Better

Brand personality refers to the brand's unique characteristics that distinguish it from competitors. These characteristics can be related to the product itself (e.g., a particular feature), its price, or its location in the market. Brand personality can also be seen as the set of emotions that the brand evokes in customers.

You may already be familiar with personality research—but many brands have yet to apply it effectively. It's critical to understand why your customers choose to buy your brand rather than your competitors', and the best way to do that is by understanding and developing a brand personality. In this article, we'll explore:

  • How the human brain makes decisions based on personality
  • How personality research helps marketers to create a stronger brand identity
  • How to apply personality in your marketing campaigns

In today's fast-paced environment, brands must be willing to step outside the box and experiment with marketing strategies to create differentiation. That is not always easy because companies don't have enough time to experiment.

The Importance of Building a Brand Personality

What Is Brand Personality

Businesses have personalities. It's an essential characteristic for people to know about businesses. It gives them a better understanding of the business before they plan to buy. 

A business with a bad personality cannot make sales. On the other hand, a business with a good personality has a high chance of making a sale. There are many things to consider when you develop your brand personality. You can find some tips for building a good brand personality here:

Know your audience.

The best way to know your target market is by understanding your customers' needs and wants. In addition to this, you should know your competitors. Once you have found these two points, it will be easier to understand what kind of personality your brand must have.

The most important thing is to find out what your target audience needs and what problems they face. Also, it would help if you analysed how your product or service can solve those problems. Your brand should clearly show who you are, what you offer, and how you solve the problem.

Developing a brand personality through visual media.

One of the ways to develop a brand personality is using visual media. People use visuals to create connections with other people. The most common visual media used for branding are photos, logos, and videos. All these can be a part of your brand personality. 

To create a brand personality that works on visual media, you must be creative, original, and consistent. You can use the same images differently to develop a consistent brand personality.

Developing a brand personality through verbal media.

Another way to develop a brand personality is through verbal media. This means developing a clear and memorable brand message. 

Your brand message should clearly define your product or service and your target audience. Your brand message should always focus on what the customer needs, what problems they face, and how your product or service solves these problems.

The Brand Personality is one of the critical components of your brand identity. A brand personality should match the vision and mission of your company. It should also match your company's position in the marketplace and how it wants to be perceived by its customers.

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Common Brand Personality Traits

Brand Personality Traits

Brands have personalities. The brands are created to satisfy the needs and wishes of a specific type of customer. The customer is the main focal point of the company. In this case, the customer is the person who buys products for personal use and the customer's needs; there are other factors such as the company's personality.

The first brand personality trait is the target. The type of customers the company wants to attract is those who buy its product. The second one is the core image. The brand personality traits will always include some of the essential characteristics of the business. The most important of these are the target and the core image.

It is essential to have a clear idea of the brand's personality before you decide to use it in advertising. It helps you identify the elements you want to emphasise and the ones you want to downplay.

Branding is not something that you should do in a hurry. It takes time to create the correct identity and personality for the company. It would help if you did this in collaboration with a graphic designer and a copywriter.

Some of the leading brand personality traits are:

  • Quality – the product has to be of high quality. A poor product will never be able to represent a brand with a positive image.
  • Reliability – the brand promises its product will always be reliable and meet customer expectations.
  • Trustworthiness – the brand gives the promise of being trustworthy. It shows its customers that it will act in the consumer's interest.
  • Innovation – the brand can improve the market with new products.
  • Ease of use – the brand makes the products easy to use and comfortable.
  • Convenience – the brand promises to provide fast delivery services.
  • Modernity – the brand is modern and provides a high level of technological innovation.
  • Efficiency – the brand promises to offer the best possible solutions. It uses the latest technologies to design its products.
  • Good communication – the brand promotes a dialogue between the customer and the brand. It does not hide information. It is not afraid to let its customers know what the brand offers.

The 4 Keys to Building a Brand Personality

Brand Mascot Personality

The term “brand personality” is a new concept that is used in marketing. It's a way of understanding and defining the personality of a company. For example, let's take the Google brand. 

Google has a confident attitude toward the world around them. They love fun. They make their employees happy. They do everything possible to ensure that their products and services are the best. And finally, they are always trying to develop new ways to ensure their users remain happy. All of these things make Google a unique brand.

In the same manner, you should try and understand your brand personality. This will help you better understand the company you work for and make your job easier. Let's look at the factors that define the brand personality of an organisation.

1: Values

One of the most important things to consider is the company's values. These are the morals that a company follows and helps guide its actions. Values aren't set in stone. They are flexible and change over time. 

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Companies should have their values written down and stick to them. Some companies have their values printed on signs at the entrances to their offices. 

There's no harm in thinking about the values of a company you might want to work for. Doing so can give you a better understanding of the company and the people.

2: Products

When we talk about a company's products, we refer to the items it makes available to the public. Google provides services such as search engines, email, maps, etc. Similarly, it would be best to understand what you produce for your clients and how these products help your organisation succeed.

3: Employees

When we think about an organisation, we tend to consider its employees. But did you know that the employees are the real core of a company? In the same manner, you should be careful while hiring employees. 

You must hire only those people with the right attitude and skills for the job. Make sure that the company that you work for treats its employees well.

4: Customers

Finally, the customers define a company. In the same manner, you should understand the needs and requirements of your customers and make sure that you meet them. You should be aware of what they like and dislike. This way, you can offer them products and services that are relevant to them.

Examples of How Brands Have Built a Brand Personality

Catchy Slogans Apple

We should distinguish brand personality from corporate personality. A brand personality is a personality developed by a brand, not the company. 

A brand personality differs from a brand image or personality, as it has a distinctive identity. It is a distinctive set of unique traits. It is built through the brand's marketing efforts. Brand personality is a distinctive set of unique traits.

Marketing and communications experts have identified six key elements of brand personality:

  1. Beliefs
  2. Attributes
  3. Values
  4. Principles
  5. Benefits
  6. Purpose

To build brand personality, a brand must have beliefs, attributes, values, principles, benefits, purpose, and a mission.

The following are examples of how brands have built brand personalities:

  1. Apple's “Think Different”. Its brand values are creativity, simplicity, perfection, innovation, and leadership. It has beliefs such as “Every day is a new day” and values such as quality, excellence, style, and beauty. Its purpose is to deliver the ultimate personal computer experience.
  2. Nike's “Just Do It”. Its brand values are leadership, motivation, excellence, and innovation. It has beliefs such as “Believe in the impossible” and values such as performance, teamwork, and self-expression. Its purpose is to inspire people to live the life they are capable of living.
  3. American Airlines' “Dare to be great”. Its brand values are innovation, integrity, reliability, customer service, and commitment. It has beliefs such as “Never settle” and values such as fairness, respect, and responsibility. Its purpose is to provide an exceptional customer experience.
  4. The Disney Corporation's “Have Fun!”. Its brand values are imagination, playfulness, friendship, joy, and discovery. It has beliefs such as “If you can dream it, you can do it”, and values such as fun, magic, and imagination. Its purpose is to entertain people of all ages and cultures with creative stories and original characters.
  5. IBM's “Be the change”. Its brand values are integrity, trust, and innovation. It has beliefs such as “Every person counts” and values such as innovation, excellence, diversity, and customer focus. Its purpose is to improve the world.
  6. McDonald's “I'm Lovin' It”. Its brand values are hospitality, service, nutrition, and quality. It has beliefs such as “We never stop dreaming of new ways to bring smiles to our customers' faces”, and values such as innovation, quality, and trust. Its purpose is to serve food and drinks that are nutritious and delicious and provide a warm and friendly environment.
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The following are examples of how brands have failed to build brand personalities.

  1. Chrysler's “Built tough”. Its brand values are performance, quality, safety, and durability. It has beliefs such as “We're better than the competition” and values such as reliability and integrity. Its purpose is to manufacture tough, safe, and durable vehicles.
  2. General Electric's “Energize”. Its brand values are energy, expertise, leadership, innovation, and sustainability. It has beliefs such as “We make things run better” and values such as quality, reliability, and safety. Its purpose is to develop and deliver power and energy products.
  3. Microsoft's “Win the hearts and minds of consumers”. Its brand values are credibility, affordability, accessibility, compatibility, and convenience. It has beliefs such as “You can do it” and values like innovation, passion, and openness. Its purpose is to provide software applications and solutions to individuals and organisations.

How to Build a Brand Personality for Your Business

Brand Personality Coke Social Media

A company's brand personality is one of the critical factors for business success. In today's competitive business environment, customers are more demanding, selective, and more critical than ever. They have high expectations of your product or service. Therefore, it's essential to establish a good image for your company or product by creating a distinctive brand identity.

Your brand personality should be consistent across all of your marketing materials. For instance, you should use the same visual style throughout your marketing material. This consistency will help make your business and products stand out among competitors and allow customers to identify your company quickly.

To create a brand personality, you need to start with your logo. A strong logo will give your company a recognisable face and should be designed using a professional approach.

There are many design software tools available for free on the Internet. Some of these tools are specifically designed for small business owners. These include Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw and Adobe Photoshop. They allow you to design a logo from scratch.

Creating a company slogan

The slogan should reflect the essence of your business. It should tell people about what makes your business special. It would help if you chose a slogan that is catchy and memorable. 

Remember that slogans should be short and straightforward. The slogan should reflect the essence of your business and make your customers want to buy your products and services. It would be best if you considered using your slogan in other places, such as your website.

Creating a company mission statement

Honest Tea Branding Statement

A mission statement is a long and detailed statement about your company's goals and aspirations. A mission statement should summarise your company's vision and explain why people should work at your company. It should also be written in simple and easy-to-read language.

Making your brand personality shine

After you have created your company logo, name and mission statement, you can make them shine through your marketing materials. You must ensure they are consistently and accurately represented across all your marketing materials. This is especially important for websites, printed materials, and other media.

You can use the same images on your website, business cards, brochures, invoices, and other marketing materials. This helps to create a cohesive and consistent brand experience.

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Website design

As mentioned earlier, your website is an excellent way to promote your company. Using the same logo and brand personality on your website makes it easier for your customers to identify your company.

One of the ways to do this is to add your company's name and address to your website home page. This will allow your customers to get familiar with your company before they even visit your website. You should also have a welcome message introducing your company and its products or services.

Online presence

As part of your brand personality, you should also have a strong presence online. You should have a website, Facebook page, Twitter account and LinkedIn profile.

When someone lands on your website for the first time, they should get a good impression of your company. They should also find it easy to navigate your website. You should avoid making it difficult for them to find the information they want.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we've all heard this: “if you can't explain what your brand stands for, then you don't have a brand.” 

That's true, but that doesn't mean your brand has to stand for everything and anything. The more your brand stands for something, the better. 

It's a brand's job to tell the world who you are, not your customers. It would help if you clearly defined your brand personality and couldn't let it be a vague concept. 

Otherwise, you'll have difficulty explaining what your brand stands for when you need to do so. Learn how to do this, and read my last blog on choosing the perfect brand personality for your brand to improve your marketing.

You can't expect people to care about your brand if you don't care about it yourself. And your personality will always be unique to you, and only you.

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Written By
Stuart Crawford
Stuart Crawford is an award-winning creative director and brand strategist with over 15 years of experience building memorable and influential brands. As Creative Director at Inkbot Design, a leading branding agency, Stuart oversees all creative projects and ensures each client receives a customised brand strategy and visual identity.

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