July 2024

Brand Personality: What It Is, Examples, & How to Cultivate One

Brand personality speaks volumes about a business, telling audiences exactly what to expect through interactions or purchases.

In layman’s terms, this phrase describes what customers envision and feel when they hear about a brand. Creating an image and voice that aligns with your values is paramount to your success in establishing an unmatched reputation.

But, what makes a strong brand personality?

Follow along as we expand on the core characteristics of brand personality and what steps can position you as a memorable figure in your niche market.

What Is a Brand Personality?

A brand personality encompasses your unique characteristics, mission, style, and voice as a business. When executed well, these features help customers and audiences develop a personal connection with you, as they learn to trust your genuineness, relatability, and authenticity.

Encountering a corporate entity that presents as “human” can be the turning point for many skeptics. People crave the real-world relationships they build with friends and family–why should their business connections be any different?

Here are the components of a strong brand personality:

Taglines: A tagline is a short, simple phrase used to define your brand.
Tone-of-voice: This personality aspect refers to your language style when communicating with customers.
Brand values: Your values are the fundamental beliefs that drive your business and overall operations.
Branded material: Color schemes and style choices matter! Creating a portfolio of branded material helps establish your personality and keep things consistent.

The 5 Main Brand Personality Traits

A brand personality is dynamic and engaging. Carefully selected tonal and visual components function harmoniously to elicit a desired sensation, like a warm, cozy hug or adrenaline rush.

According to Jennifer Aaker in The Journal of Marketing Research, brands can use the five dimensions of personality to guide their creative choices. These characteristics can lay the groundwork for what becomes a unique, unforgettable corporate persona.

Below are the five common possible traits of brand personality:

Excitement: Brands with this characteristic often create an energetic, extroverted, and adventurous persona. Their ads and marketing campaigns instill a sense of “can do” and empowerment. Think motivating language, daring visuals, and inspirational music.
Sincerity: Imagine a caring mother calmly rubbing a warm towel across her sick child’s head as he eats a bowl of Cambell’s chicken noodle soup. Here is a prime example of sincerity in action. Buyers perceive these brands as nurturing and genuinely interested in their well-being.
Ruggedness: Ruggedness appears exactly as you can picture–outdoorsy, tough, and, in many cases, hypermasculine. Brands with this personality trait typically promote “made-to-last” and durable products to those who appreciate well-crafted goods.
Competence: This characteristic focuses on cultivating a knowledgeable, expert, and reliable presence. Tech or engineering companies commonly excel in this avenue of brand personality development.
Sophistication: Ah, the height of luxury. Sophistication is generally associated with sleekness, simplicity, and refinement. Brands may use dark, moody tones and contemporary fonts to accentuate elegance.

Brand Personality Examples in Practice

With the millions (billions?) of brands on the market, examples of distinct personalities are abundant. The limit on how different the same characteristics can be articulated does not exist–the spectrum is wide and infinite.

Let’s take a look at how some global companies have chosen to form their personalities:

Excitement: Red Bull

What gets you more amped and ready to take on the world than an ice-cold energy drink? Red Bull creates an image of constant adrenaline, enticing the most daring athletes, trailblazers, and go-getters. Choosing to affiliate with extreme sports like car and motorcycle racing further highlights this edgy persona.

Sincerity: Dove

Dove ensures customers know their mission is to provide quality beauty products to everyone, no matter their identity, skin type, or appearance. Their emphasis on body positivity and healthy self-esteem sets them apart from many competitors still operating with more traditional perceptions of femininity.

Ruggedness: Patagonia

Rock climbers, mountaineers, and outdoor enthusiasts gravitate toward Patagonia products for a reason. This brand has successfully developed a personality that effortlessly marries a thirst for life with a respect for nature.

Competence: Google

Google–the king of competence. As a pioneer in the search engine, AI, work management, and general tech realm, billions flock to Google as their prime source of relevant, trustworthy information. Their brand stresses the importance of quality and innovation, further deepening their overall image of intelligence in the industry.

Sophistication: Rolex

Due to their well-crafted brand personality, Rolex has become linked to the most elite, high-status, and elegant figures. Their sleek designs appeal to those desiring something refined but not too “showy.”

Creating a Memorable Brand Personality

Becoming a household name doesn’t happen overnight. The most prestigious and well-established brands have spent years refining their identities, and they are continually reinventing themselves as necessary.

While the process of crafting a brand personality takes time and dedication, you will see the benefits reflected in nearly every area of your business. Being yourself and embracing your humanity nurtures customer loyalty, respect, and continued support.

Understand Your Audience

Put on your thinking cap and delve into the research. Study your audience first before initiating the branding process to ensure you’re moving in the right direction. Spend an afternoon just gathering data about their demographics, lifestyles, beliefs, and buying habits.

The better you understand your audience, the more equipped you are to create a brand personality that aligns with their motivations and goals. For instance, a customer base searching for organically and ethically sourced growing media wants to see branding that screams nature (e.g., plant-related logos, forest imagery, etc.).

Here are a few things to consider when getting to know your audience:

Age
Location
Income
Values and beliefs
Lifestyle routines
Customer journeys
Loyalty to other brands
Gender identity
Marital/parental status

Highlight Your Strengths

What separates you from other brands in the market? Why should customers choose you over them? Look for any positive differences that prove your worth.

These traits could be anything from your origin story to your brand vision. Perhaps you started from the ground up after a global disaster like the COVID-19 pandemic, or your business donates X% of profits to charity. Find ways to incorporate these strengths into your brand personality.

Check out these tips for differentiating yourself from competitors with your brand personality:

Highlight core values (e.g., sustainability, organic-made, family-oriented)
Showcase your efforts to honor customers (e.g., creating an empowering slogan)
Create an honest, open tone of voice
Showcase your efforts to honor customers (e.g., creating an empowering slogan)
Create an honest, open tone of voice

Identify Your Values

Humans have values that shape how they perceive themselves and the world. Your business should be no different. You cannot create and foster a strong brand personality without a broad comprehension of your guiding principles.

Let’s say your goal is to make medical cannabis more accessible to rural communities by supplying growers with indoor cultivation materials. You could integrate this mission into your personality through your slogan or tone of voice on social media.

Develop a Brand Style

Visualize how you see your brand being portrayed online and in print media. Dust off the old Pinterest account and start materializing a mood board that accurately captures your ideal persona. Remember to tie these elements in with your vision, too.

For example, an eco-friendly conservatory may benefit from incorporating neutral hues like green, brown, or mustard. Alternatively, a landscape tools manufacturer may opt for vibrant reds or yellows to prompt a sense of power and passion in customers.

Additionally, don’t forget about typography, logos, and relevant imagery! Creating one solid collection of marketing materials ensures consistency in every area of operations, from social media posts to print media and more.

Use these questions as inspiration:

What tone do I want to set with my branding?
Does any color theme come immediately to mind?
How will these design elements help deliver my overall message?
Are my choices too similar to competitors?
Do my image choices appeal to my audience?

Be Open to Changes

Life is in a constant state of flux–as is the marketing industry. Don’t hesitate to adjust branding based on customer feedback and industry shifts. Overlooking the significance of flexibility can ultimately hurt your business, as customers lose trust in your ability to recognize their preferences.

Show diligent efforts to stay reputable and authentic in your niche by regularly tracking customer engagement and reviews. Monitor how they respond to product launches, new subscription packages, newsletters, and any other marketing material you supply. Based on this data, you can weigh the success of your branding campaign.

In Conclusion

Brand personality should be a priority in your marketing strategy, regardless of how long you’ve been in the industry. It is never too late to start showing your true colors (literally and figuratively), emphasizing your vision, and sharing your positive influence with the world. In the end, these choices can determine how well customers emotionally connect with you, so stay vigilant and adaptive to changing needs.