Shaping Brand Personality: Infusing Identity into Your Business

Every brand is an entity, but what differentiates one brand from another is what makes one person different from another: personality. Each company, and sometimes different product lines, has its own brand personality. The concept of brand personality is integral to how businesses communicate and build relationships with customers.

Just as a person might be cheerful, trustworthy, sophisticated, or rugged, companies can embody similar brand personality traits that reflect their messaging, design, customer service, and product offerings.

When brands have multiple personality traits, it's called the brand personality spectrum. A commonly used model classifies brand personality into five core dimensions, each with a set of associated traits. The five key brand personality dimensions and a few of their key personality traits include the following:

• Sincerity: A sincere brand personality comes across as kind and genuine, projecting warmth and honesty in their interactions.
• Excitement: Brands that resonate with energy, youth, and thrill are seen as spirited, imaginative, and trendy.
• Competence: A competent brand personality is perceived as reliable, successful, and intelligent, showcasing leadership and dependability.
• Sophistication: A sophisticated brand personality exudes charm and smoothness, catering to a more discerning audience with refined tastes.
• Ruggedness: Brands that project outdoorsy vibes, robustness, and strength are seen as tough and rooted.

But why is having a unique brand personality so important? It all boils down to human psychology. Humans are inherently social and driven by emotions, relationships, and connections. By attributing human traits to a brand identity, businesses make their products and services more relatable and approachable.

This means consumers engage with a persona they've come to trust, like, or admire when purchasing a product. Brand personality matters because it's the reason why many people are loyal to particular brands, defending them as they would a close friend. The psychological connection fosters deeper brand loyalty, influencing purchasing decisions and leading to brand advocacy.

Brand personality is more than a single component of brand marketing; it connects businesses with consumers on an emotional level.

Let's take a look at a few brand personality examples to help you understand what they are and how they work:

• Apple: Apple's brand personality exudes innovation, sophistication, and contemporary coolness. This tech giant consistently carves out its unique space by presenting itself as a brand at the forefront of technology and design. You can instantly recognize Apple's commitment to this brand personality through various touchpoints, including the sleek design of its products, the minimalist design of its retail stores, and product launches that introduce groundbreaking innovations.
• Nike: The Nike brand personality consists of inspiration, athleticism, and empowerment. The brand's personality is perfectly encapsulated in its "Just Do It" slogan, and Nike doesn't just sell sportswear. Instead, it sells a message that motivates athletes and everyday individuals to transcend boundaries and embrace their fullest potential. Every one of Nike's ads, shoes, and apparel items seeks to empower its target audience.
• Dove: Dove offers a refreshing take on beauty by emphasizing authenticity and nurturing compassion. In a world where magazine covers and retouched ads dictate beauty standards, Dove challenges these norms. By featuring real women in their campaigns, Dove makes a statement that beauty is diverse, real, and should be celebrated. This brand story of self-acceptance and embracing natural beauty has set Dove apart, resonating with target audiences that seek authenticity.
• Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola's brand personality is brimming with joy, universality, and a sense of refreshment, positioning itself as a drink that brings people together. The brand's marketing narratives are woven with themes of shared happiness, moments of togetherness, and simple pleasure derived from a refreshing drink. These brand personality traits solidify Coca-Cola in the market as a beverage giant.

Why does brand personality matter?

By giving human characteristics to a company, brand personalities build trust, reliability, customer loyalty, and brand differentiation in the market. Consumers need to believe in a brand, including its promises and its values. Brand personalities create the overall brand identity. This identity is something consumers get to know, understand, and eventually trust.

When a brand consistently embodies specific personality traits, whether it's sincere, competent, or any of the other dimensions, it becomes more predictable. This predictability translates to reliability, which can help brands form trust.

Beyond the functional attributes of a product or service, consumers often seek an emotional connection. Brand personalities humanize businesses, making them more than corporate entities. When consumers see a brand as exciting or sincere, they attribute feelings, leading to a deeper emotional connection and engagement.

This emotional tether goes beyond transactions and is the reason consumers might stick with a brand even if a competitor offers a discount or a new product. The emotional connection fosters loyalty, turning regular customers into brand advocates.

Brand personality can help set a business apart in a saturated market. While product features, pricing, and customer service are essential, competitors can quickly replicate them.

What's harder to replicate, however, is brand personality. Brand personality is what sets one brand apart from the others; whether it's the ruggedness of an outdoor apparel brand or the sophisticated charm of luxury brands, brand personality carves out a distinctive space in the consumer's mind and the market.

Crafting a memorable brand personality isn't something you can do overnight. It's a meticulous process in which each decision shapes the final brand personality, revealing a new identity for a company. A potent brand personality is the true soul of a business that resonates with its target audience.

Whether you're just beginning your brand personality framework or looking to refine your brand image, infusing personality into your business can be a transformative experience that ensures you stand out in the market and leave a lasting impression. Here are a few steps to help you build your brand voice, personality, and identity:

Define your brand's core values

Defining your brand personality starts with identifying what your business stands for. Every brand needs a foundation or set of guiding principles, which could be anything, including innovation, sustainability, luxury, or community. Identifying these core values can help you create a more coherent brand message and personality.

Keep in mind that core values aren't just corporate buzzwords that sound appealing; they're deeply ingrained into your brand and overall business. Whether your brand emphasizes innovation like Apple or prioritizes authenticity like Dove, these values shape the narrative and identity of your brand.

However, while internal clarity about these issues is crucial, external alignment is equally important. In other words, it's not just about what your brand believes in but also about how these beliefs align with your target audience's aspirations, values, and needs. This alignment forms the basis of genuine connections, ensuring your brand doesn't just communicate — it truly resonates with its audience.

Let's consider, for example, the value of sustainability. Eco-consciousness is more than a trend, so if a brand were to champion sustainability as a core value, it's not enough to just say you support eco-friendly practices in your marketing campaigns. Actions, product designs, supply chain decisions, and everything in between should reflect this commitment.

The brand's dedication to sustainability must align with its customer base's genuine concerns and values. When a customer perceives that a brand's values align with their own, it fosters trust, loyalty, and deep emotional engagement.

Therefore, while defining core values is a foundational step, the real magic happens when these values are lived out. They should be reflected in everything your brand does to solidify your brand identity.

Know your target audience

Consider who your target audience is when creating a brand personality. Create detailed customer personas, understanding everything from demographics and psychographics to preferences, challenges, and aspirations. This market research can help you tailor your brand traits to your customers.

If you want to make your brand relatable, you must align your brand's personality traits with what appeals to your target audience. For instance, if your audience values authenticity, consider infusing the brand personality dimension of sincerity into your overall brand messaging.

A comprehensive understanding of your audience recognizes their lifestyles, favorite media channels, buying behaviors, and the tone of communication they prefer. For instance, a younger demographic might resonate with a brand that's playful, contemporary and uses casual language. On the other hand, an older demographic might appreciate a more formal, trustworthy approach.

Knowing your audience and aligning your brand personality with their preferences, lifestyles, and other information you know about them can foster relatability while building trust. When consumers feel like a brand understands them, they're more inclined to trust and engage with it.

Choose appropriate brand archetypes

A brand archetype is a recognized symbol or theme. Companies can use brand archetypes like the explorer, the hero, the caregiver, and so forth, depending on their unique personality traits and brand dimensions. For instance, a brand archetype for an adventure brand might be the explorer because it's fueled by freedom.

Once you choose an archetype that aligns with your brand values, goals, and target audience, let it guide your branding efforts. An archetype offers a framework that helps businesses maintain a consistent tone, message, and identity. For instance, if you're using the hero archetype, you're less likely to create a dark campaign that doesn't resonate with your target audience.

This archetype also helps your target market build an emotional connection with your target audience. By aligning your brand with a familiar archetype, you can set expectations and tap into emotions, making it easier for consumers to connect with, understand, and remember your brand.

Beyond acting as a roadmap for branding consistency, these archetypes can help differentiate your brand in the market. While many brands might cater to similar needs or offer comparable products, what sets each one apart is its unique narrative and emotional resonance that comes from its archetype.

So, when a brand aligns itself with a particular archetype, whether it's the rebellious outlaw challenging the status quo or the wise sage offering guidance, anchoring your brand to a recognizable theme or symbol creates a timeless and universal appeal.

In doing so, your brand becomes more than just its products and services and instead transforms into a story your audience becomes a part of, fostering loyalty and deeper engagement.

Develop consistent brand messaging

Brand messaging should consider the personality traits you've chosen. Whether your brand speaks with authority or projects wit, this tone should be consistent across all channels to make your brand instantly recognizable.

From social media posts to email newsletters and other marketing materials, every piece of communication should echo your brand's personality. Incorporating brand personality into messaging aids in forming a distinct voice that sets your brand apart.

A consistent and distinctive brand voice can cut through the noise and draw in consumer attention. More importantly, this consistency reinforces trust. Just as people build trust with someone who is consistent in their actions and words, consumers gravitate toward brands that present a reliable and consistent image. This trust forges deeper customer relationships, leading to brand loyalty and advocacy.

Visual identity and branding

Every brand can be a visual brand with the right visual identity. Visual elements powerfully convey personality. If your brand projects sophistication, choose elegant brand fonts and muted colors. Meanwhile, if it's vibrant and youthful, you might choose bold hues and more dynamic designs.

A cohesive visual experience is also crucial. All visual elements, whether on your website, social media platforms, or products, should be cohesive to reinforce your brand personality traits.

Keep in mind that the visual identity of a brand serves as a non-verbal communication device, often making the first impression before text is read or content is consumed. It's similar to the clothes you wear, setting the mood, evoking emotions, and informing on expectations.

Visual branding tells a story. The choice between a minimalist design and a rich, detailed aesthetic can speak volumes about your values and personality even before customers read your mission statement. By crafting and implementing a visual identity aligned with personality, brands can create instantaneous connections and set the stage for deeper engagement with their audience.

Crafting and communicating brand personalities can be challenging. While the potential benefits are significant, including things like stronger customer loyalty, improved brand recall, and a unique market position, there are potential pitfalls that businesses should be aware of. These missteps can dilute your brand image and sometimes lead to lasting damage and mistrust.

Inauthenticity

Today's modern consumers are more discerning and informed than ever. They can sense and are often put off by inauthenticity. Crafting a brand personality that doesn't align with your brand's core values or actions can lead to accusations of insincerity or "brand-washing."

For instance, if a brand claims sustainability as a core value but they don't adopt sustainable practices, it can face backlash. Ultimately, brands shouldn't get involved in something perceived as positive just to try to boost consumer perception, especially if they don't embody those "values."

Overextending

Your brand personality should be appropriate and relevant. While it's tempting to jump on trends and incorporate various traits into your brand's personality, overextending can lead to confusion. A brand that tries to be everything to everyone often resonates with no one.

Therefore, keeping the brand personality tailored to your business's core values and target audience is crucial. For instance, luxury brands may think twice about adopting a casual or playful tone because it might confuse their target audience.

In general, brand personality should feel like a natural extension of the brand's identity, not a forced overlay done for the sake of brand marketing.

The power of a well-crafted brand personality

Brand personality isn't just a branding tactic; it's the soul of the business and makes you who you are. From the smallest interactions to grand marketing campaigns, a brand's personality influences perceptions and opinions.

A well-crafted brand personality forges emotional bonds to turn casual browsers into loyal customers and loyal customers into brand ambassadors. This emotional resonance drives preference in saturated markets, fosters trust, and kindles loyalty.

Yet, crafting a brand personality is just one step in brand building. Once your brand personality is developed, it must be infused into everything you do. Create a brand personality with Mailchimp's suite of marketing tools. Understand your audience, gain insights into how they engage with your brand, and ensure your brand voice remains consistent across marketing channels.