You may know your corporate brand identity – the visible elements of your company – but do you know your brand personality? Brand personality is best described as your brand’s character; it is as if your brand has human-like traits and characteristics that make the customer experience more personal, more real. Brand personality relies on the customer’s emotional connection to the brand.

Due to the ever-growing importance of our social media-driven society, successful brands prioritize the development of brand personality. Not only does this help build better customer relationships and engagement, but it also shapes your brand message. A clear personality creates an effective voice that delivers a consistent and impressionable experience that consumers absolutely crave!

When you embark on the process of understanding and developing your brand personality, the key to a success is authenticity. The brand needs to help people interpret what the company is about. Building the brand personality internally, at all levels – from the C-suite to interns – will help it properly project externally.  If everyone in your company understands and envelopes the qualities of this personality, you will benefit from better engagement and improved brand impact.

The process for creating a brand personality is unique to each client.  However, you can start by considering the 5 main types and common traits associated with them:

  1. Excitement: carefree, spirited, and youthful
  2. Sincerity: kindness, thoughtfulness, and an orientation toward family values
  3. Ruggedness: rough, tough, outdoorsy, and athletic
  4. Competence: successful, accomplished and influential, highlighted by leadership
  5. Sophistication: elegant, prestigious, and sometimes even pretentious

Some great examples of brand’s who have done it right include:

  1. Apple – sleek, innovative, cutting edge
  2. Nike – athleticism, confidence
  3. Dove – relatable, inner beauty, confidence
  4. Patagonia – committed, socially conscious
  5. Rolex – elegant, timeless

Whether you want to re-energize your brand or are developing a completely new one, evaluate your core messaging, values, and services. Parlay this information into what your brand personality represents.  A starting point may be to create a persona or identify characteristics from company leadership to get started. Of course, the WitMark team is always happy to help!