What is brand personality (short definition)
– Brand personality is the set of human-like traits or characteristics that people associate with a brand name. It’s an emotional shorthand consumers use to understand what a brand stands for and whether it “fits” them.
Key takeaways (one-sentence bullets)
– A clear brand personality increases qualitative value beyond product features.
– It shapes customer emotions and can influence purchase decisions and pricing tolerance.
– Brand personality is distinct from, but must guide, brand imagery (visuals, copy, partnerships).
– Common brand personalities include sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness.
How brand personality works (mechanics, step-by-step)
1. Choose a target consumer segment you want to attract (who they are, what they value).
2. Select a personality that resonates with that segment (e.g., sincerity for authenticity-seeking buyers).
3. Translate that personality into imagery and communications: tone of voice, colors, photography style, influencer partners, events, CSR activity.
4. Ensure every customer touchpoint (product design, packaging, ads, service interactions) expresses the same personality traits.
5. Monitor responses and adapt while preserving core traits—consistency builds brand equity.
Definitions you should know
– Brand imagery: the concrete creative assets and visuals (logos, photos, ad style) used to express a brand’s personality and benefits.
– Brand equity: the extra value a brand name adds to a product or service, often reflected in higher willingness to pay or stronger customer loyalty.
Why defining brand personality matters (practical reasons)
– Differentiation: In crowded categories, personality can set a brand apart even when features are similar.
– Pricing power: A well-defined personality can justify premium pricing if it matches desired consumers’ self-image.
– Loyalty and identity: Consumers often form long-term attachments to brands whose personalities match or complement their own.
– Communication efficiency: A clear personality reduces trial-and-error in messaging and creative production.
Personality vs. imagery (short clarification)
– Personality is the abstract set of human characteristics associated with a brand (how people feel about it).
– Imagery is the tangible expression of that personality (what people see and hear
– Personality expresses itself through imagery (what people see and hear), tone of voice, behavior, and the rituals a brand encourages. The next practical steps are choosing a framework, measuring the current personality, translating it into creative and operational rules, and tracking change over time.
Common frameworks (short guide)
– Aaker’s Five Dimensions: The most-cited taxonomy groups traits into Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Sophistication, and Ruggedness. Use this as a starting checklist of human-like traits to consider.
– Trait lists and adjective wheels: Longer lists (20–50 adjectives) let you pick the language that best fits your audience. Adjective wheels visually map near-synonyms and opposites.
– Archetypes: Twelve archetypes (e.g., Hero, Caregiver, Creator) simplify personality into narrative roles; useful for storytelling across channels.
How to measure brand personality (step-by-step)
1. Define the trait list. Start with Aaker’s five dimensions plus 10–20 adjectives tailored to your category (e.g., “trustworthy,” “innovative,” “playful”).
2. Design a survey using a Likert scale (1–7, where 1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree) that asks respondents to rate how well each adjective describes the brand.
3. Sample selection. Survey current customers, lapsed customers, and target prospects. Aim for n ≥ 100 per segment for basic reliability.
4. Compute average scores for each trait (mean). Optionally compute standard deviations to gauge consensus.
5. Normalize for comparison: normalized_score = (mean – 1) / (7 – 1), which rescales means to 0–1.
6. Visualize results with a radar chart or bar chart to show dominant and weak traits.
7. Compare against competitors: run the same survey on rival brands or ask respondents to rate competitors directly.
Worked numeric example
– Suppose you survey 200 current customers and ask them to rate “innovative,” “trustworthy,” and “approachable” on 1–7.
– Means: innovative = 5.2; trustworthy = 6.0; approachable = 4.4.
– Normalize: innovative = (5.2−1)/6 = 0.70; trustworthy =
= 0.83; approachable = (4.4−1)/6 = 0.57.
Interpretation
– Ranking (0–1): trustworthy 0.83 (strongest), innovative 0.70 (solid), approachable 0.57 (weakest).
– What this suggests: customers see your brand as reliable and reasonably innovative but not particularly friendly or easy to relate to. That directs marketing and product priorities.
Practical next steps (action plan)
1. Prioritize fixes by impact × ease:
– High impact / easy: change website tone, update help-center copy, add customer-facing FAQs and live chat to boost approachability.
– High impact / harder: product tweaks that visibly show innovation (new features, beta programs).
– Low impact / easy: surface trust signals more prominently (security badges, testimonials) even though trust is already strong — maintain it.
2. Messaging checklist to lift “approachability”
– Use plain-language copy; avoid jargon.
– Add real customer photos and stories.
– Promote responsive support channels (chat, social messaging) and public response times.
– Include “how-to” videos and onboarding walkthroughs.
3. Tactical experiments
– A/B test “voice” on landing pages: formal vs. conversational copy; measure conversion lift.
– Run a short usability study (n ≈ 20) focused on new-user flow; score perceived friendliness on a 1–7 scale.
– Introduce a pilot “community” forum or moderated social group; track engagement and sentiment.
Benchmarking against competitors (worked numeric example)
– Suppose competitor A yields normalized scores: innovative 0.80, trustworthy 0.75, approachable 0.60.
– Compare dimension-by-dimension:
– You vs. competitor A: innovative 0.70 vs. 0.80 → you trail by 0.10.
– trustworthy 0.83 vs. 0.75 → you lead by 0.08.
– approachable 0.57 vs. 0.60 → roughly equal.
– Action: emphasize trust in broad-market communications where you lead, while running targeted campaigns (or product demos) to narrow the innovation gap.
Tracking and governance
– Repeat the survey quarterly or after major campaigns/products.
– Set measurable targets (e.g., approachable normalized score ≥ 0.70 in 6 months).
– Link KPIs to teams: product for innovation, CX for approachability, marketing for perception maintenance.
– Use complementary metrics: Net Promoter Score (NPS) for loyalty, brand awareness studies for reach, and social sentiment analysis for tone.
Survey design & analysis checklist
– Sample: n ≥ 100 per target segment; stratify by key demographics.
– Questions: use consistent 1–7 scales; randomize trait order to avoid primacy effects.
– Scoring: compute mean and SD for each trait; normalize via normalized_score = (mean − 1) / 6 to map 1–7 → 0–1.
– Visualization: radar charts for profile, bar charts for comparisons, trend lines for time series.
– Statistical checks: report confidence intervals or run t-tests when comparing groups (assume approximate normality for means with n ≥ 30).
Common limitations and biases
– Sample bias: online panels may not represent your actual customer base.
– Acquiescence bias: some respondents favor positive answers; use balanced phrasing and reverse-coded items if needed.
– Cultural differences: personality dimensions can carry different connotations across countries.
– Scale interpretation: a 1–7 scale is ordinal; treating means as interval is common but an assumption—consider medians or nonparametric tests if distribution is skewed.
Quick formulas & notes
– Normalize: normalized_score = (mean − 1) / (7 − 1) = (mean − 1) / 6.
– Change over time: Δnormalized = normalized_t2 − normalized_t1; report percent change if helpful.
– Assumptions: normalization assumes respondents used the scale endpoints comparably across waves and groups.
Summary checklist (one-page)
– [ ] Build or adopt a trait list (Aaker’s dimensions or custom).
– [ ] Survey n ≥ 100 per segment; randomize order.
– [ ] Compute means, SDs, normalized scores.
– [ ] Visualize and benchmark against competitors.
– [ ] Prioritize actions by impact × effort; run A/B tests.
– [ ] Re-survey regularly and track KPIs.
Sources (for further reading)
– Investopedia — Brand Personality: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brand-personality.asp
– Jennifer Aaker, Stanford Graduate School of Business (research summary): https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/jennifer-a
aker: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/jennifer-aaker
– Aaker, J. L. (1997). “Dimensions of Brand Personality.” Journal of Marketing Research (research paper): https://www.jstor.org/stable/3151897
– Keller, K. L. (2000). “The Brand Report Card.” Harvard Business Review (framework and checklist for assessing brand strength): https://hbr.org/2000/01/the-brand-report-card
– Kapferer, J.-N. The New Strategic Brand Management (author page / book overview for alternative identity frameworks): https://www.kapfererparis.com
– Kantar / BrandZ (methodologies and annual rankings for benchmarking brand strength): https://www.kantar.com/campaigns/brandz
Educational disclaimer: This material is for educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized investment, marketing, or legal advice. Always verify methodology and consult appropriate professionals before making business or financial decisions.