businessman making thumbs up
Brand personality is defined as the human personality traits associated with a specific company or product, helping to transform a simple product into a lifestyle choice. These characteristics provide the connection between a customer and a company that encourages the customer to return to a specific company to fulfill their needs or wants. This is usually developed through marketing, both in the type and content of advertisements and where a product is marketed.
Marketers of specific companies and products often try to associate the organization, service, or product with human characteristics to make the item relatable. The most common characteristics attributed to a brand include reliability, fun, and enthusiasm, as well as intelligence, sophistication, and youth. Outside of specific traits, brand personality often aims to create a lifestyle for customers by subconsciously convincing them that when they buy a specific brand, they themselves are associated with the same personality traits. Once the company begins to excel in its specific product, that same product can expand into other areas to create a kind of culture for customers. Outdoor sports companies that sell everyday clothing and home goods are a great example of how brand personality can expand into a lifestyle choice.
Specific traits connect with the client on an emotional rather than a practical basis. Introducing a personality that attracts customers allows a product or company to encourage customers to choose its specific product over other similar products that may meet the same basic customer needs. This not only helps attract new customers, but also increases the rate of returning customers. For this reason, brand personality is also a primary means of developing brand loyalty, which is essential to creating a successful and established business.
Brand personality development is often tricky, as customers typically don’t respond when they hear what to think. Advertisers spend a lot of time researching what images, words, and even colors might elicit an emotional response from a customer. A business that wants to be seen as trustworthy and competent typically uses commercials, print ads, and online ads that convey a smart yet approachable appearance. Likewise, companies that want to look adventurous, young, and cool often use bright colors, snappy images, and short phrases to develop this type of personality.
Creating a brand personality also depends on deciding what type of customer will use a product and then determining what that customer base will relate to in a company. This information is generally obtained through market research and customer surveys. Companies that sell products or services aimed at a particular generation or group in society, such as people in their 20s or 30s or parents, will generally work to develop a brand personality that meets the desires and culture of that generation.