To understand the importance of Brand Personality, we have to first understand the meaning of Brand Personality. Imagine a Brand to be a Person. How would that Person behave? How would s/he speak? Whether that Person is well travelled or s/he seldom travels? What kind of car s/he would be driving? And clothes… how would s/he dress up? Brand Personality is the Human traits/Personality attached to a Brand. For example, let’s consider Apple Inc’s Brand Personality. Imagine Apple to be a Person. What would s/he be like? Creative, innovative, stylish, the cool kid on the block. Brand Personality, simply put is the Human traits that a Brand develops/defines that informs how the Brand talks and behaves.
So, why is Brand Personality important? Brand Personality helps in easing communication with the customers. A customer can relate to the traits that s/he possess with the Personality traits that a brand has. Thus, an Emotional connect is generally created amongst the Brand and the Customer. Consider Levi’s brand. The Brand is associating itself with being Casual. A cool Person would connect immediately to Levi’s because of the casual trait associated with the brand. Thus Brand Personality helps in building an Emotional bond with the Customers.
Every Person has a unique Identity. The way s/he behaves or the way one communicates differs from Person to Person. That is how we like or dislike a Person based on their Personality traits and the ways s/he expresses himself. Brand Personality creates this unique Identity. It helps in differentiation and clear association.
If you were to decide how you look, would you not choose the best? Well, yet we find two brands having quite different Personalities. One preferring the sporty look, while the other, despite having a choice, preferring a rugged one! Adidas associates itself as being sporty, while Timberland goes for the rugged. Though both the Brands are in shoe making, the Personalities attached to them and the way these Personalities are portrayed. There is a nothing right or wrong in defining and identifying Brand Personality.
Ultimately, of course, everything comes down to – what kind of Customers you want to serve? Customers who reflect the Personality of your Brand will be drawn to it and others – well, let them be drawn to what they can associate with.
Article contributed by Aditya Deole, Marketing Team, Yellow Fishes.