How to frame your Brand's Personality

It is a widely held belief among Brand owners and custodians, that people today have a very short attention span. Quite on the contrary, I believe people can give all the attention a Brand needs as long as it is relevant to them. And to be relevant the Brand need to display consistent behaviour. It needs to have a personality. When a brand behaves like a real person, it has a better chance of connecting with its audience.?

What is a Brand Personality?

At its core, Brand personality is not too different from human personality. It is a collection of traits that an individual exhibits consistently over a period of time. Think of the various people you know in life. You'll have someone to go to for advice, someone for fun, someone who is a sounding board, etc. You know who to go to for a specific purpose, because they have consistently displayed a certain behaviour over and over again. You know what to expect from them. So much so, that when they behave ‘out of character’, it can get quite unnerving and annoying.?

And so it is with Brands. Brands that behave consistently are far more memorable than those that don’t. In the book 'The hero and the outlaw' the authors make a case that brands with a consistent personality were 97% more valuable than brands that didn’t have one.

This personality is what endears Brands to consumers, gives them a reason to associate with and even earns Brands the power to influence culture in the larger perspective.

Building a Brand Personality

There is no one way to build a brand personality. Just a few points to keep in mind:

1. Understand your audience and the competition before you begin drafting a personality. Your positioning to a large extent will decide your personality.
2. Once you define a personality, behave consistently. Like in the case of a person, this consistency goes a long way in letting your audience know what to expect. Once the expectation is set, it significantly improves stickability of your communication.?
3. Be careful not to trivialise the personality. Sometimes, poor audience understanding, forced humour or even cultural myopia can lead to brands portraying stereotypes rather than an archetype.?

Stereotype Vs Archetype

This is a critical part of building your Brand Personality.?

Stereotypes are convenient examples used to generalise the traits of a handful of people to a larger population. While they are great for a quick laugh, they are insensitive and often offensive. We are all well aware of and have even experienced cultural stereotypes at some point in our lives, based on our nativity or language or gender. When a Brand exhibits a stereotype, it may appeal to a small section of your consumers, but it alienates many more.

Archetypes on the other hand, are rooted in universal truths. They are anchored on emotions and cut across cultures. Archetypes are a lot more dependable in the role they play in our lives. Everyone understands what a Mother or a Teacher or a Best Friend means. A Brand that can exhibit an archetype is immediately more relatable to the consumers.

Frameworks

There are a number of frameworks available to define the personality of a brand. I frequently use Jennifer Acker's Personality Dimensions & Carl Jung's archetype framework . You can find a lot of content about both these frameworks online.

Both the frameworks have their own set of detractors, and they aren't fool proof.??Use them only if you know how to. If used incorrectly, they can become an indulgent gimmick.

Many brand owners instinctively know the personality they want to build for their brand. This instinct is more critical than any framework you can use, because your brand personality is an extension of your brand strategy.

Elements of Brand Personality

No matter what framework you use, there are four key elements that any Brand Personality should have: Identity, Characteristics, Language & Tone. ICHLET for short.?

Identity:?What is the closest psychological association people will have with your brand?

Characteristics:?What are top 2 characteristics that your brand will embody?

Language:?What kind of words will you choose to communicate with your audience?

Tone:?What is the attitude you want to reflect via your communication?

Once you have defined these for your brand, stick to them with earnest, and you will have a consistent Brand Personality.

Let’s?look at a few iconic Indian brands that have thrived by building a well-defined personality.

Royal Enfield?

It has embodied the spirit of machoism and adventure.?

Fevicol

Among my favourite Indian brands that has not just survived the test of time, but has also thrived.

Amaron Batteries

A brand that shook the boring category of car batteries.?

Brand personality helps build relationships with consumers and enhances your brand salience. It is important to pick the personality wisely, taking your TG and their sensibilities into account.How