A brand’s personality is a set if human-like traits attributed to the given brand. It usually means certain ideas that define the brand but could also be used to define a person.
A client that purchases a product of a brand that has a personality also purchases a certain idea. It is best visible in the automotive industry, where buying and using certain car models is influenced by ideas that do not necessarily directly relate to the car’s physical attributes. A person that purchases a sport bike by extension also purchases freedom, independence or pride. Buying a family car on the other hand means buying safety, stability, and reliability. Finally, urban cars mean functionality, comfort, thriftiness, as well as modernity and independence. The automotive industry is of course not the only that utilised brand personality – it’s also visible in the food industry, electronics, or services.
The greatest difficulty lies in actually defining the individual traits of a given brand. It may happen that the clients will actually perceive a product, service, or a company in a way completely different than intended. This is why the personality has to be defined not only during the marketing campaign, but also in the client-brand relationship. One should pay special attention to users’ opinions and their experiences with the brand and the people responsible for sales and marketing, e.g. employees.
The process of creating a brand’s personality can be quite time consuming and rather difficult. It pays off to tackle it very cautiously, including all possible circumstances.
