Defining a brand's personality means providing human characteristics or traits to the elements that identify a company or organization.
The goal is to achieve a greater connection with the target audience and differentiate the brand from its competitors,specifically linking your value proposition to emotions, values, and psychological archetypes.
In this article, we will provide you with a step-by-step guide to defining your brand personality, as well as key concepts and methodologies that will help you shape your brand personality. Let’s get started!
Brand personality: definition
They are emotional characteristics and symbolic attributes that are associated with a brand and its behavior with its environment and target audience.
The concept of a brand is not only the name with which a product or service is identified, but it represents a distinctive and unique aspect with which a company identifies itself in a market and builds its differentiation strategy.
On the other hand, the concept ofPersonality is defined as the characteristics, qualities and attributeswhich are strategically chosen to humanize and give life to a brand's identity; and which at the same time, are developed based on consumer opinion.
Consumers are the ones who tend to project values, emotional appreciations and personality traits onto brands. These elements will therefore define “their way of being” and act as the basis on which their visual identity will be built, as well as their communication parameters or verbal identity: voice, tone, role and editorial line.
The action of humanizing brands has its origin in marketing, specifically in the area specialized in brand management or branding, which seeks to exalt brands as symbols that reflect cultural, social and emotional meanings that can be shared within groups of people.
What is not a brand personality?
It is very common to see how it is confused with the visual identity or with other elements that are part of the construction of a brand.
Therefore, a brand personality is NOT:
An isotype
A logo
A slogan
A typography
A palette of colors
A brand identity manual
Why is brand personality so important?
Defining your brand personality is important because it allows you to:
Connect emotionally with your prospects and clients.
Distinguish yourself from the competition.
Position your brand in the market with a clear and confident vision of your value proposition and your company's competitive advantage.
Correctly guide your marketing strategies with your brand principles.
Standardize your visual and verbal identity. This way, any person or marketing agency in charge of your branding will know where to direct their strategies.
Correctly target your company's communications in digital and print media.
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Methods for creating a brand personality
Over the past two decades, different models and methods have been developed to define brand personality. Among them, the brand personality dimensions model, developed by Stanford researcher Jennifer Aaker in 1997. It arose from a consumer study conducted in the United States.
In it, they perceived41 personality traitsof various brands that were grouped into the following 5 dimensions:
Competence.
Relative.
Emotionality.
Sincerity.
Sophistication.
Let's see how the adjectives that characterize each dimension break down:
brand-personality-architecture
Although this model is an important reference when defining a brand's personality , in the following lines we will delve deeper into the archetype model inspired by the theoretical contributions of Carl Gustav Jung.
Another way to personify your brand is by choosing an archetype. This is a model based on the theory of psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung, which states that throughout history, there have been a series of unconscious psychological patterns that have defined various personalities and that can be classified into archetypes.
According to Jung, archetypes are developed by each person based on the experiences lived by their ancestors.
Therefore, they mark a series of emotional and behavioral patterns that determine the way in which a person processes their sensations, images, perceptions and, ultimately, develops their personality.
There are many types of archetypes, however Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson, (inspired by Jung's contributions, popularized archetypes in the world of branding and marketing through their book "The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes"
In this book, the authors point out that using these qualities present as symbols in the collective unconscious is very useful, as well as guiding their image and identity.
HenceThey defined 12 branding archetypes that can be used for different types of products, depending on the brand's mission, vision and values.
12-Brand-Personality-Archetypes
Below we explain them with some examples of brand personalities:
Archetypes related to independence and achievement
The Wise Man
Brands such as the archetype of the wise man are associated withGoogle, HP, CNN y Quora.Its aim is to share knowledge and position itself as a reference in its industry. Related brands seek to inspire wisdom, intelligence, education and technological innovation.
Their products promote the exchange and access to information and knowledge. Their messages highlight the importance of data and information to better understand our environment and solve problems.
For example, Google's slogan in Spanish is "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
The Innocent
Represented by brands such asDisney, McDonalds and Coca-Cola,This archetype seeks to convey happiness, simplicity, optimism, friendship, unity and confidence. Its goal is to help its consumers feel good about themselves and their surroundings.
Their messages seek to highlight the importance of enjoying the moment, doing things we like and being happy. For example, Disney's statement translated into Spanish is: “We want to bring happiness to all people of all ages and anywhere in the world.”
The Explorer
Associated with brands such asRedBull, Jeep y The North Face,The explorer archetype connects with those authentic, adventurous, free, daring and independent personalities.
Their products seek to help their consumers discover and explore new challenges, places and adventures. Their messages are aimed at encouraging people to try new things or do them differently. Among them: “You only have one life and you have to live it to the fullest.”
Archetypes related to stability and control
The Protector
Attributed by brands such asNestlé, Johnson & Johnson y Heinz,are brands whose main objective is to help and protect others. They seek to make their consumers feel understood and supported.
This archetype is usually associated with household and family hygiene products. Its messages are oriented towards the care and protection of people, especially towards our loved ones.
They project calmness, generosity, compassion, altruism and closeness. taiwan cp number For example, Johnson & Johnson's slogan is: “a family company working for a better world.”
The Creator
The creator is an archetype that brands likeAdobe, Apple and LEGO,since they seek to inspire consumers to develop their creative power using their products. In turn, these have customizable designs that adapt to people's tastes.
His messages seek to project imagination, art, anticipation, originality, perfectionism, self-improvement and freedom of expression: “if you can imagine it, you can create it.” His strategy is to inspire people to materialize their ideas in artistic products that last over time.
The Leader or Governor
This archetype is associated with premium brands whose target audience has a high socioeconomic status. An example of this isRolex y Mercedes Benz.
They seek to create an exclusive community united by professional success and the aspiration for power. Their products aspire to be perceived as guaranteeing quality and prestige.
Their messages seek to convey leadership, power, control, responsibility, success, exclusivity and prosperity through phrases such as: “power is not everything, it is the only thing”
Archetypes related to communication and fun
The Ordinary Man
Presented by brands such asIkea, eBay, Visaand various supermarkets, this archetype is suitable for brands with generalized targets, whose branding does not seek to be ostentatious but simple and easy to understand.
Their products and services are designed for everyday life and seek to provide realistic responses to people's daily needs and concerns. They are also characterized by affordable prices.
Their messages are based on empathy, equality, common sense and trust: through phrases such as “everything you need for your home in one place and at an affordable price.”
The Jester
Represented by brands such asOreo, Fanta y M&M,The Jester archetype is associated with fresh, fun brands that inspire their consumers to enjoy life through humor.
Their products aim to create fun moments and have a good time. Their messages convey spontaneity, humor, optimism, joy, irreverence, carefreeness and creativity: “whatever you do, never stop having fun”
The Lover
The lover archetype is related to brands that inspire beauty, intimacy, sensuality and passion such asChanel, Victoria’s Secret y L’Oreal.
Their products aim to make people feel wanted. They seek to communicate emotions related to love, self-esteem, desire and fashion. They highlight physical attractiveness, as well as inner beauty in messages such as: “fashion goes out of style, but style and beauty never do.”
Archetypes related to risk and excellence
The Hero