Birds of the same feather flock together

EFFECTS OF HAVING A BRAND PERSONALITY

What comes to mind when you see a Pears body product? Mild, genuine, Sincere? Or let's bring it home even more, what do you think of when you hear about the GTB food & drink festival? People, fun, Excitement??

It’s an indisputable fact that human beings are driven by emotion.?

When customers purchase a product, they often rely on emotions like comfort, ease and trust as much as logic, if not more. That’s why many shoppers pick a particular product over another, like an Iphone over a less popular one (for lack of better relatable options to use) even when the quality of both might be virtually the same.?

A formidable/solid brand personality is key to establishing the emotional connection that drives people to choose your product or service over the next competition. To keep clients loyal over time, you need to develop a brand personality and implement it across boards using various platforms as a medium to communicate this personification to your desired audience.?

Creating a brand personality helps boost your brand equity (the monetary value that your brand adds to your products or services, especially compared to other options in the market) in addition to encouraging consumer loyalty and reaching your direct audience.

Just as customers tend towards Apple products despite iPhones being significantly more expensive than comparable options, such as Techno or Gionee, the personification of your brand gives you more room to increase product price without losing customers; this is seen especially in brands like Apple, Nike, Indomie, there’s a handful really.?

Let’s look at Indomie for example - the one FMCG brand that has so eaten into the fabric of the nation, such that even its competitors struggle to have their names on the lips of any other.

Let me show you how;

You walk down your street to grab a can of Coke from the retailer and a 7 year old kid hops down to the same store and requests to purchase “2 packs of indomie” not specifying the brand he or she wants, leaving the retailer puzzled and asking “which one?”

Factually, Indomie is so ubiquitous that the whole nation refers to almost every brand of noodles as “Indomie”.

INDOMIE, AN IDAN

Indomie Instant Noodles is a unique brand of Instant Noodles, loved by a majority of Nigerians. It has grown to become a household name in Nigeria owing to its delightful taste and wholesomeness. Transcending across all age groups, the brand has managed to win over the hearts and taste palates of both the young and the old.

A report by CNN stated that Indomie is an Indonesian company that entered into a partnership with Tolaram Group in Nigeria.

The instant noodle was introduced to the West African country in 1988 through export, and in 1995 the company opened its first production factory in the country.

The report went on to state according to Kellogs Tolaram CEO West Africa; Pawan Sharma, that even though currently considered a snack, there are hopes that it eventually becomes the main meal in homes.

Digging deeper to ascertain how this brand has been able to achieve product market fit and become one of the leading FMCG’s in the country thriving amidst its competitors (Honeywell, Dangote, Mimee, Golden Penny, etc), I found out according to Marketing Edge, that a combination of product quality, persistent consumer interaction, and aggressive advertising has enabled Indomie effectively fend off challenges from its rivals despite the market's growing level of competition. Also, it has been ascertained that while its Primary audience is the children, the brand’s appeal has been able to transcend across all age groups, though the latter; as secondary audience.?

Hitting the market with Ad Campaigns like Mama do Good, Indomitables Challenge, mum like no other, etc, Indomie continues to appeal to its Children audience, and mothers too, positioning as a fast meal for working class mothers or overworked mums with lots of kids as an average Nigerian home boasts of 3-5 children.

This personality has uniquely shaped the brand and how it is perceived by its target audience, Sincere and Competent.

People see the Indomie brand as authentic, domestic, cheerful, dependable, reliable and this resonates well with them, creating a subconscious interdependency, where the brand depends on the people to thrive and the people are gladly stuck on the brand likewise.?

The Indomie brand was able to identify its personality and communicate it through various mediums reaching directly to its target audience and appealing to them in a manner in which it can’t help but be adopted.

THE TAKE HOME

This is what brand personification looks like, the very definition of it;?

Giving your brand a human nature and attaching specific emotions to it that are similar to those evoked by the audience, hence attracting them to the brand, like birds of the same feather flocking together.?

You’re probably wondering how to go about this? Creating a thriving personality for your brand/business. I’ll show you, but in a subsequent article, Steve Jobs said to stay hungry.?