How can you use brand personality to manage brand crises?

Defining the brand personality is like creating a character for a business, with its unique traits, behaviors, and communication style. You can think of your brand as a character in a story, which can be friendly, playful, or serious, just like people you know. These traits reflect what you want your brand to represent and how people perceive it. During a crisis, this personality can be a reliable tool for navigating tough times.

Think of your brand's personality as a useful tool when you run into brand issues. It's all about being honest, showing you care, and staying true to your brand's identity. Doing this can help rebuild trust and loyalty when things don't go smoothly. It's like demonstrating that your brand is more than just a name or logo – it's a dependable and compassionate companion for its customers.

Maintaining some degree of consistency with brand voice is critical in crisis response, but is also easier said than done. Communications responding to or addressing crises tend to be heavily lawyered (understandably) and that can strip away authenticity and brand voice. In managing crisis response, it’s important to balance all of the areas of risk — brand/reputation, legal liability, and operating continuity. Too often, legal liability seems to receive disproportionate weight, and that can impact on brand/reputation. When you can respond true to form for the brand, your communications will feel more authentic and credible. When it sounds like lawyers responding, people may assume some wrong doing or something to hide.

It’s not that different from human personality. Just as we all have various characteristics and traits that make us unique and appealing to others (such as being likeable, sincere, trustworthy, fun-loving or sophisticated) for a brand to be successful and resonate with consumers, it also needs to be based on distinguishing features. A brand personality gives a brand a human face that makes it relatable, memorable and unique.

Authenticity is super important. Be honest, be transparent and remember to speak directly to your audience and show you truly care about them and trust their judgement.

I emphasize the significance of consistency in brand personality across all touchpoints as Brand personality indeed plays a pivotal role in shaping customer perceptions and loyalty. Contrary to some beliefs, authenticity should be a cornerstone. While crafting a strong and positive brand personality is essential, it must genuinely reflect the core values and actions of the company. In this way, customers will perceive it as sincere and trustworthy, strengthening brand equity even further.

Imagine this: You're at a social gathering, and you meet two people. One exudes warmth, humor, and a genuine interest in your thoughts, making you instantly comfortable. The other seems distant, formal, and robotic in their conversation. You're more likely to remember and gravitate towards the first person, right? In a similar way, your brand personality shapes how customers perceive your brand. It's the personality that makes your brand relatable, memorable, and even likable.

If you don't intentionally Brand your company personality you risk falling pray to Bland personality. Personal Blanding? is the intentional or inadvertent act of demarketing or making oneself appear generic, dull, boring, weak, plain, flat, commonplace, tedious, vanilla, dreary, tiresome, monotonous, run-of-the-mill, uninspiring, humdrum, unimaginative, uninteresting, insipid, unexciting, ho-hum, vapid, unstimulating, undistinctive, limited or no value add that ultimately may negatively impact opportunities or careers and allows others to overlook potential. Go Grand, Never Bland, Brand to Land & #KeepRockingLinkedIn! Kevin On a Mission to Eliminate Organizational & Personal Blanding?

Think about any relationship in your life. That really good friend or family member whom conversation flows freely, they are honest with you, always show up, make you laugh, have your back. You are excited when they call. If they make a mistake, you are likely quick to forgive and move on. The same is true with your corporate brand. Every customer interaction ( digital or in person) should be a natural free-flowing conversation that builds on your last conversation. You show up in good and bad times with clear communications. You are serious when necessary yet lighthearted, relaxed and even fun at times. Your customer is at the forefront of everything, putting their interests first. Through these brand traits, you build trust and loyalty.

A brand personality is something that acts a s the glue that helps your brand stick in the minds of your target audience. Your brand personality is what attracts relevant attention and repels unwanted ones. Like for example - Red Bull has an adventurous brand personality and attracts people who have the same kind of interests.

This can be best explained with an example. During the UK's chicken shortage crisis, KFC effectively used its brand personality to manage the situation. KFC's personality is typically fun, lively, and a bit cheeky, catering to a younger audience. When the crisis hit and restaurants had to close due to the chicken supply issue, KFC acknowledged the problem through a full-page newspaper advertisement featuring an empty bucket with the letters "FCK" on it. This playfully admitted the issue and apologized. They could’ve issued a generic, cold apology through PR and newspapers. Instead, they used their creativity and brand personality to create a self-deprecating humor to manage the crisis effectively.

A striking example of this is Ryanair, a brand known for its brash personality. When they suffered a severe bird strike resulting in dual engine failure and a crash landing, totaling a brand new Boeing 737 only 7 months old, their immediate, transparent response was commendable. Instead of stonewalling the media, they chose full disclosure. The outcome was not only the absence of misreporting but also enhanced trust and reputation. Barely anyone remembers this incident from 2008! In contrast, stonewalling media queries can raise further questions and instill distrust. Honesty towards legitimate concerns of stakeholders must be embedded in a brand’s personality to ensure effective crisis management.

Even in times of crisis, staying true to your brand voice and personality is key. Stand by your values, communicate transparently, and show your “human” side by empathizing with your clients and candidates. Brand who communicate in a timely and transparent way while being true to their personality and mission will more likely come out stronger from a crisis (or at least maintain brand image and respect).

Imagine your brand personality is known for being innovative and forward-thinking. During a crisis, this is your chance to showcase that innovation in your response. Instead of merely resolving the issue, use it as an opportunity to revolutionize your products, services, or processes. Show the world that you're not just fixing problems; you're using your brand's creative spirit to build a better, more resilient future. Or let's say your brand personality is known for being nurturing and supportive. During a crisis, you can extend this nurturing quality by creating support systems for your customers and stakeholders. Offer them resources, guidance, and a sense of belonging, turning a crisis into a moment of community building.

Continuous communication and engagement with your customers is one of the essential element during a brand crisis. Too late a communication, and not being too sensitive to the public sentiments can do a snapdeal to your brand which had its downfall after the Amir controversy. During crisis, brands need to tone their communication sensibly and accept if the faults are identified and communicate how they are addressing the issue. The best example is Maggi- who has utilised its image of being a 2am friend after facing a nation wide ban- they beautifully communicated- same packet, new promise with their we miss you campaign… It was a delight to see, humans treating Maggi like a human and urging it to come back…

Special attention should be directed towards our interactions with employees. In times of crisis, candor becomes our greatest ally. When engaging with stakeholders, which includes shareholders and customers, it’s imperative to maintain honesty and transparency. While communicating with customers through the media is acceptable, our employees merit direct, swift, and candid communication. They serve as the custodians of our brand personality and should not receive information through the media before hearing it directly from the company. Failing to do so poses the risk of eroding our brand from within. Let’s prioritize internal candor to safeguard our reputation. #CrisisCommunication #Stakeholders #BrandGuardians

Analyze past crisis scenarios, either within your brand or other companies, as case studies to understand what worked and what didn’t in communication strategies. Develop a crisis management plan that aligns with your brand personality, preparing templates and procedures that adhere to your brand's voice, ensuring a swift and consistent response when crises do occur, and safeguarding against impulsive, misaligned communication. This ensures the brand remains authentic even during difficult moments.

Transparency and authenticity are essential if you want to manage brand crises with brand personality. The first thing is to analyze the nature of the problem and then respond with brand personality. This means you will invoke your brand personality and voice in your messaging and marketing communications. Respond to questions, bad reviews, concerns, and criticisms using personal stories, and customers' testimonies and reinforcing the brand values.

When you are dealing with bad PR or crisis it's important to remember to be authentic and as transparent as possible. Knowing your unique personality also means you'll know how to respond on brand (or in character).

In the turbulent waters of a brand crisis, harnessing your brand's personality can be your guiding star. Be authentic, stay true to your values, and communicate openly. Your established personality traits can reassure and retain customer trust amidst the storm. Embrace empathy, transparency, and resilience, and your brand's personality will be a lighthouse, leading you through the darkest of times.