Top brands know the secret to standing out when all else is equal –they leverage their brand personality. “Their what?” you ask.
That’s right. Brand Personality.
If you have taken the Brand Personality Quiz already, you are ahead of the game.
You know your Brand Personality. Now let's take a look at why you need it, what it is, and how to leverage it to your unfair advantage.
Let’s suppose you are in a highly competitive market, and you are a savvy marketer. You have done all the hard work to get clear about your brand and its message so you are uniquely visible.
You defined your brand position and value proposition, as well created a high-impact brand promise. Being the thought leader you are, you even have a brand purpose and an inspiring set of brand values. In other words, you have a well-differentiated brand, which should ensure your prominence. But not so fast!
You look around at your competition and it’s enough to make you cry. They have all done that same hard work themselves, and you are so similar, you still remain invisible. Those brands who are ready to grow, however, can leverage the tie-breaker technique larger players use, and grow faster than their peers, regardless of their current market position – using brand personality.
What is Brand Personality?
Your brand is an experience and a promise of what you stand for and deliver. It includes your imagery, verbal communications, colors, fonts, and where you show up. Your brand personality is exactly what it sounds like – the personification of your brand, so that it becomes attractive to your ideal customers. It is how they can see themselves reflected in your brand.
How Is Brand Personality Determined?
The great news is that all that work around brand values and purpose, positioning and differentiation is instrumental in determining your brand personality. The value principles, and inspiring purpose you fulfill create a set of emotions and express certain characteristics. Those are how your customers want to be seen themselves, and how they want to feel when they interact with you.
There are a handful of ways to get at your brand personality, but the one that is most widely accepted is Jennifer Aker’s 5 dimensions of brand personality. Simple and easy to understand, the dimensions can stand alone or be combined to clearly describe any brand’s personality.
The 5 dimensions of brand personality are:
Sincerity (down-to-earth, honest, wholesome, cheerful (Trader Joe’s, Disney, Hallmark, Cadbury)
Excitement—daring, spirited, imaginative, creative, edgy, up-to-date (Target, Tesla, Red Bull, Coca-Cola, Nike, Apple)
Competence—reliable, intelligent, successful (FedEx, Volvo, Intel, Microsoft)
Sophistication— sleek, luxurious, elegant, attractive, upper class, charming (Tiffany, Rolex, Dos Equis, Gucci, Ritz-Carlton)
Ruggedness—outdoorsy, tough, badass, adventurous, strong, powerful (Timberland, Jeep, Wrangler (Jeans), Marlboro)
Find Out Your Brand Personality
To find out your brand personality, take the quiz, and look for upcoming information on how to put your brand personality into practice.
