Creating an Unforgettable Brand Personality

The secret of being a successful brand comes down to a simple truth: People don’t like companies. People like other people. We can relate to them, we can associate positive traits to them, and we resonate with the personality attributes we give them.

Even though two brands might offer the same product or service, chances are you can relate to one better than the other. Even though you might even understand that the quality of each product is just as good. This all comes down to brand personality.

A brand personality is the human characteristics we encounter with a brand, in response to the way it communicates verbally and visually.
This unique element of Brand Strategy brings your company to life and makes it easier for you to create meaningful connections and relationships, rather than just transactional experiences.

Consciously and unconsciously, we are constantly making assumptions about brands. Whether a brand is suitable for us, by attributing specific characteristics to it, and figuring out if it fits with our lifestyle and values.

Every part of your brand needs to work together perfectly to create a memorable engagement for your customers. Just like we can usually sniff out fake people a mile away, so too can customers feel when a brand is faking it. If you create something that’s overdone, underdone, or simply inappropriate for your target market, then the best you can hope for is a single purchase, rather than a loyal customer.

How to define your brand personality

In most cases, a personality isn’t something that happens by accident. Brand Personalities stem from an understanding of a brands audience, and who their customers might best relate to.

Archetypes is great jumping off point for defining the Brand Personality. A psychological theory by Carl Jung, Archetypes are based on storytelling narratives, and characters, that transcend time and culture, that we are all aware of. Such as the Outlaw, Hero and Jester. In Brand Theory, we understand that if you can build your brand around a well-known character, or personality type, it will help you resonate with audiences.

Brand Strategists, like Zesty Brands, will often use brand archetypes in brand development as a jumping off point to define a unique brand personality.

Examining your competition

Comparing yourself to others in your brandscape is one method of teasing out your points of difference and how you can create a unique brand personality.

Define your customer

As part of the Brand Strategy, you’ve hopefully defined your target market very well. Using that information, think about how you’re going to be relatable to them. If your customers are professional, well-versed in health nomenclature, and enjoy adventuring in their spare time, then you need to be all of those things too!

How do you speak, what do you look like?

A brand personality is a combination of the various things that come together to make your brand unique. In other words, it’s not just about your logo and the graphics, but the messages that you put out in marketing, your digital website, and even the emails and phone calls you make.

A few words or simple phrase

It’s almost always best to keep things simple when it comes to branding. If your personality is too complicated, then it will be harder to resonate with, and might even be ignored. Try something like “30-something, health-conscious, outdoor adventurer” and then dive into how that “Person” might speak, look and act.

Conclusion

A great brand personality is an excellent tool and creative shorthand to inform brand identity and all design touchpoints. Underpinning the personality with a small set of values is a few secret ingredients to bringing your brand to life.