Having a well-defined personality for your brand is essential to create emotional connections with your audience and differentiate yourself from the competition. In this article, we’ll explain what brand personality is, how to create it and present inspiring examples.
Have you ever bought a product or contracted a service that was more expensive than the competitor’s just because you liked the brand? Really, some brands have a special way that conquers our hearts, because we identify with them in some way. This is brand personality in action!
With a well-defined personality, your brand can also generate this type of engagement and create such a loyal clientele that they won’t mind paying more to buy what you offer.
And when we talk about brand personality, we’re talking about something far beyond a pretty logo or a creative name. It’s the lifeblood of your business, it’s how you present yourself to the public and connect emotionally with your customers. By defining your brand’s personality and creating communication strategies consistent with it, you can become that charismatic friend that everyone loves.
So, if you are an entrepreneur looking for a unique identity for your business, this article will help you create yours and inspire you with examples of brands that knew how to exploit their personalities to turn customers into fans and stand out in the market.
What is brand personality
Brand personality is how a company presents itself to the public. Just as people have unique personality traits, brands can also have specific traits that represent them. It’s how the brand’s identity comes to life and is humanized to interact with its customers.
To express this personality, it is possible to use a series of elements, such as tone of voice, visual identity, values and behaviors. It’s the way she communicates and interacts with her audience that clearly demonstrates her personality, creates an emotional connection, and presents values that consumers can relate to.
Advantages of having the brand personality defined
To build a strong and successful brand, it is essential to have a well-defined personality. This strategy brings several significant advantages to your business, such as the ones we show below:
Engaged and loyal audience
A well-defined brand personality makes people feel more connected and pay more attention to what the brand says and does. In this way, a solid relationship is created that increases customer engagement and loyalty.
Striking and memorable image
Defining the personality before creating the brand’s visual identity allows you to combine colors, design and other visual elements that more effectively convey who the brand is and what it stands for. Thus, you strengthen your identity and make your image more memorable.
More efficient marketing actions
With an engaged audience and a visual identity consistent with the brand’s personality, it is possible to obtain better results in marketing actions and campaigns . This is because the public already identifies with its essence and shows more interest, increasing the chances of conversion.
coherent communication
Defining the brand’s personality contributes to creating a standard that brings coherence to all company communications. This consistency reinforces the brand’s positioning and conveys confidence to consumers.
Brand personality types and examples
To represent the different characteristics that a brand can have, several classifications of personality types have been created. Among them, the best known is the proposal created by Stanford University professor Jennifer Aaker, who identified 5 dimensions of brand personality:
Sincerity
Brands with this personality value honesty and authenticity, and their communication is friendly and reliable. Examples:
- Dove: recognized for its message of acceptance and real beauty, conveys empathy, appreciation of authenticity and care for the well-being of customers.
- Airbnb: promotes the idea of sharing authentic experiences through travel, valuing the connection between people and hospitality.
Enthusiasm
These brands are associated with happiness and pleasure, with lively and fun communication. Examples:
- Coca-Cola: With creative advertising campaigns and engaging experiences, create an infectious feeling of enthusiasm for your product.
- Disney: synonymous with fun and wonder, its iconic characters, theme parks and captivating stories spark enthusiasm in children and adults alike.
Competence
This personality dimension applies to brands seen as smart and reliable with high quality products and efficient services. Examples:
- Apple : Associated with innovation, elegant design and the high quality of its products, it is recognized worldwide for its high-performance products and services.
- BMW: Recognized for cutting-edge engineering, superior performance and technological innovation, it wins over vehicle lovers for its sophisticated design and exceptional driving experience.
Sophistication
Brands with this personality type value elegance and exclusivity, and their products and services are associated with luxury. Examples:
- Rolex: Its watches are symbols of status and technical excellence, reflected in elegant design and high-quality craftsmanship.
- Gucci : Recognized for its bold style, iconic prints and high-quality materials, its creations convey an aura of elegance and good taste.
Robustness
This personality is for bold and rebellious brands that challenge conventions and traditions. Examples:
- Harley-Davidson: known for its robust and rebellious personality, conveys boldness, freedom and spirit of adventure.
- Converse: associated with youth and alternative culture, embodying a relaxed and authentic attitude.
5 steps to define your brand personality
Brand personality influences how consumers perceive and connect with your brand, but how do you do that?
To create an authentic and impactful personality for your brand, follow these steps:
1. Know your target audience
To genuinely connect with your target audience , you need to understand who they are. Analyze their wants, needs and values and notice the personality traits they most identify with.
2. Define your brand values
Now, compare whether what is in the essence of your audience corresponds to the values you believe for your brand. Identify your business principles, values and mission and align them with those of your target audience.
3. Understand your language style
How you communicate with your audience is a direct reflection of your brand personality. Define the tone of voice that best represents your company, whether you will have a fun and relaxed approach or a more serious and professional approach. The important thing is that the language is aligned with the identity of your company and that it wins over your audience.
4. Create a coherent visual identity
The visual identity also says a lot about the personality of the brand. Choose colors, fonts, logos and visuals that are consistent with the values and message you want to convey, and use them consistently across all of your company’s touchpoints.
5. Be authentic and consistent
Be true to your brand values and characteristics and maintain a consistent message in all interactions with your customers. That way, you convey authenticity and establish a true connection, which earns trust and loyalty from your audience.
The brand personality is the “face” of your company, how it is seen by the public and how it positions itself in the market. Therefore, defining an authentic personality aligned with your audience contributes to connecting and building solid relationships with customers.