Brand Personality Types: Key to Consumer Behaviour

Brand Personality Types: Key to Consumer Behaviour

In the competitive business world, where brands vie for attention and aim to connect with their target audience on a deeper level, having a distinct brand personality can help them stand out. Brand personality refers to the emotional, intellectual and behavioural patterns unique to a brand and consistent over time.

What Does Brand Personality Mean?

Brand personality is when you give your brand human-like traits so people can identify with it or project themselves into it. It goes beyond how functional your product or service is and taps into consumer behaviour's emotional and psychological aspects. A strong personality makes your brand distinctive in a crowded marketplace and helps build equity.

Brand personality means giving your brand its own set of characteristics, qualities or values that make it different from other brands in the market – its voice that speaks to consumers, evoking emotions and creating connection. When consumers can relate to what your brand stands for (its “personality”), they’re more likely to bond with it – which leads to increased loyalty (and advocacy).

Take Apple as an example: think about Apple’s brand personality.

Apple is often associated with words such as sophistication, innovation and elegance. Its sleek design, user-friendly interfaces and cutting-edge technology contribute to its sophisticated personality.

This suits a particular target audience who value style (as well as quality) and want their experience using tech products to be seamless. Being able to portray this consistently has helped make Apple one of the most valuable brands in the world.

Why is Brand Personality Important?

Brand positioning and gaining a competitive edge are two areas where brand personality plays a crucial role. To make them unique and relatable, brands need to acquire their voice – one that is more human – by cultivating an identifiable brand personality. By doing so, companies can forge deeper emotional connections with consumers, potentially resulting in more significant customer acquisition, loyalty, and brand equity.

A strong brand personality helps differentiate a company from its rivals by creating an identity that resonates with consumers. In today’s oversaturated marketplaces, where consumers are presented with countless options, a brand personality can help a business stand out and attract attention. When customers feel they have something in common with how a specific company or product behaves or presents itself, they will likely select it over similar options.

Take Red Bull as an example: it has crafted an exciting and adventurous image that aligns perfectly with extreme sports enthusiasts or those seeking adrenaline rushes. This distinctive character sets Red Bull apart from other energy drink manufacturers and appeals directly to its target audience thanks to its energetic and youthful image.

By consistently maintaining this persona over time, Red Bull has become the dominant energy drink sector player.

Different Types of Brand Personalities

The Aaker Brand Personality Framework defines five dimensions of brand personality: sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness. Brands can manifest these character traits.

For example, a sincere brand is regarded as down-to-earth and focused on fulfilling customer demands. It establishes confidence with its targeted audience through truthful actions and genuine communication. Dove and TOMS are examples of companies that exhibit these characteristics.

An exhilarating brand exudes energy, youthfulness, and innovation. Such businesses stimulate their target market and create an aura of adventure around themselves. Nike and Red Bull are two perennial favourites in this category.

Businesses seen as capable are trustworthy, intelligent community members who have succeeded in their chosen fields. They increase consumer trust by demonstrating expertise in their work – IBM and Microsoft fall into this category.

Sophisticated firms appear elegant or glamorous to discerning customers who prize quality or luxury items; Apple is one such organisation.

In contrast to refined goods or services for city dwellers seeking elegance or refinement, there may be those catering to outdoorsy types looking for rugged equipment – Patagonia or Jeep instantly spring to mind.

Brand personality types make it easier for organisations to align themselves with consumers’ needs by creating emotional connections that lead to loyalty.

A good illustration would be Dove’s image of caring about people (sincerity), which carries through from its products to campaigns promoting body positivity (what a person looks like doesn’t matter). This strikes a chord with customers seeking authenticity plus inclusive values, which has helped build customer loyalty – i.e., it has become a trusted name. It generates affection among many people who use personal care items regularly.

Examples of Brands With Different Personality Types

Nike: Nike is all about energy – its energetic and innovative personality makes the brand the embodiment of excitement. It inspires athletes and encourages people to push themselves, with slogans like “Just Do It” and a roster of high-profile athletes associated with it. This sort of thing excites people, as does the sportswear firm’s reputation for cutting-edge products.

Apple: Apple is sophistication personified – sleek, refined and representing cutting-edge technology wrapped in elegant design. Its minimalist products are user-friendly, while slick marketing campaigns help generate buzz around new launches. Small wonder that the California-based business has become one of the most valuable brands on earth.

Red Bull: If you want an example of excitement, look no further than Red Bull – adventurous, youthful and appealing to extreme sports fans everywhere. The company sponsors extreme sports events year-round and showcases exhilarating activities such as wingsuit flying in its marketing campaigns to reinforce its image as an exciting brand.

All three companies have created a strong brand personality that resonates with their target audience by consistently embodying these characteristics over time.

How Brand Personality Influences Consumer Behaviour

The behaviour of consumers is influenced by brand personality as it fosters an emotional connection with the target audience. Consumers will likely engage with and remain loyal to a brand that matches their values and identity. For instance, if you value adventure and excitement, you will probably be attracted to Red Bull, whose image embodies those traits. 

Brand personality helps consumers differentiate between similar products or services and guides their purchasing decisions.

A strong emotional connection between consumers and a brand’s personality leads to loyalty, trust, repeat purchases and brand advocacy – where customers promote the product on behalf of the company.

Consider the rugged personality of outdoor clothing manufacturer Patagonia – known for its durable clothes that appeal to environmentally-conscious outdoor enthusiasts.

The company’s positioning resonates with people who prioritise environmental responsibility and adventure – building a loyal customer base because they buy its products and support what it stands for. This consistency in portraying its brand personality has helped make Patagonia one of the leading brands in its sector.

Another reason why brand personality is essential is that it helps guide consumer decision-making by giving them an idea about what your business stands for.

If your values align with those portrayed by a specific business’ branding, it can create a sense of trust in them.

This means they’re more likely than ever before to select one particular business over another based on how well-aligned this value system appears.

Dimensions of Brand Personality

Understanding the dimensions of brand personality and leveraging them is possible using the Aaker Brand Personality Framework. These dimensions include sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness.

By understanding these dimensions, brands can effectively shape their personality traits to communicate their desired image well to their target audience.

Each dimension represents a different set of values or traits that a brand could possess. By getting under the skin of what each one means and how it aligns with its target audience, brands can develop a brand personality that resonates with customers – providing an emotional connection.

Take sincerity as an example: if a brand wants to cultivate this particular trait, it might focus on building trust and putting customer satisfaction back and centre in everything it does. This could be conveyed through transparent communication, ethical business practices, and by making social responsibility central to its operations. Consistently embodying all these aspects will help build trust among consumers.

Another dimension is excitement: if a brand wanted to be seen as ‘exciting’, perhaps because it makes beauty products for younger women or men who wish to adventure sports kits, then innovation – in products – would be necessary. But so too would marketing campaigns with standout appeal, partnerships with high-profile personalities or events which evoked feelings of adventure within the consumer, etc.

By getting under the skin of what each dimension means – and ensuring all activity fits coherently into one or more of them – marketers will strategically shape consumer perceptions about their offering better.

Implementing Brand Personality Consistently Across Visual and Verbal Identities

Implementing brand personality consistently across visual and verbal identities is crucial. This ensures a coherent, recognisable brand personality that builds customer recognition. A brand style guide outlining guidelines for logo design, colour palette, typography and imagery can help achieve consistency. Brands should also define their tone of voice and communication style to ensure consistent expression on different channels.

Visual elements are vital in conveying a brand’s personality. Design elements, including colours, typography and imagery, should reflect the brand’s personality traits. For example, a sophisticated brand might use minimalist design with elegant fonts and high-quality photography; an exciting one might use vibrant colours and dynamic imagery.

Verbal communication is equally crucial for expressing a brand’s personality: it must mirror its traits in terms of tone of voice as well as language choices. For example, a sincere-sounding manner may be achieved using friendly language choices with empathetic messaging or competent sounding through more professional/authoritative wording.

Implementing consistently across visual and verbal identities helps create cohesive, memorable experiences that resonate with audiences – assisting consumers in recognising the brands they love most easily – reinforcing their personality traits along the way – and building loyalty.

For example, Coca-Cola has cultivated an enduring 150-year-plus happiness/joie de vivre/togetherness (Big Idea) vibe over many years that its marketing campaigns continue to tap into today/nostalgia-making/emotional connection-creating stuff happening/built up immense loyalty/preferring Coke over other soft drinks/one of world’s biggest/most-loved brands thanks primarily to the consistent portrayal of this vibe/world-leading superbrand.

Brand Personality’s Role in Brand Positioning and Competitive Differentiation

If you want your brand to have a distinct position in the market and stand apart from competitors, developing a strong personality for your business is essential. And that personality must be carefully chosen to appeal directly to your target audience – and clarify what you can do for them.

Your brand personality should aim to encapsulate everything about your value proposition – so choose wisely.

What is brand positioning?

The term refers to how consumers see a particular product or service relative to others in the same category of offerings.

A clearly defined brand personality helps shape this perception – allowing your company or products to differentiate themselves from rivals who offer similar things.

When this type of branding perfectly captures what appeals most about you, your company could benefit significantly because an emotional connection with potential customers has already been made to make people think: “I like what they’re doing.”

One example of this is Tesla. The car manufacturer has positioned itself as an exciting innovator at the forefront of electric vehicle (EV) technology. It presents its plug-in models as aspirational items for individuals who care deeply about their carbon footprint. By focusing firmly on cutting-edge EV tech while delivering plenty of ‘wow’ factors regarding performance and style, Tesla has stolen a march on many established automotive brands without such well-defined personalities or USPs.

Observe how Tesla pitches its cars via social media and other platforms, and you’ll quickly understand precisely how clever use of brand positioning works.

By leaning heavily on specific aspects within its brand identity – prominently featuring those elements that best resonate with key customer groups – companies will find it more accessible to attract attention among prospective clients and build an invaluable rapport.

Do you prioritise any of these when you think about your brand?

When branding captures perfectly what appeals to your company – an emotional connection has been made that will make people think: “I like what they’re doing.”

One example is Tesla: positioned as an exciting innovator at the forefront of electric vehicle technology; its plug-in models are aspirational items for individuals who care deeply about their carbon footprint, focusing on cutting-edge EV tech + delivering plenty of ‘wow’ factor when it comes to performance and style, Tesla has stolen a march on many established automotive brands without such well-defined personalities or USPs. Observe how Tesla pitches its cars via social media/other platforms and quickly understand precisely how clever use of brand positioning works!

By leaning heavily on specific aspects within its brand identity – prominently featuring those elements that best resonate with key customer groups – companies can attract attention among prospective clients and build rapport.

Impact of Brand Personality on Customer Acquisition and Brand Loyalty

A brand's personality is essential to acquiring customers and creating loyalty. A solidly established and clearly defined brand personality will encourage people who identify with the traits and values of the brand to become interested in it, helping make a connection between the brand and its consumers that creates loyalty and repeat purchases.

Acquiring customers is all about attracting new business for a brand. A clear-cut personality helps draw consumers who sympathise with what that brand stands for. When people feel strongly about how a particular brand comes across, they are more likely to select it over others –– an emotional bond that can help push up customer acquisition rates, thus boosting growth.

Brand loyalty means sticking with one company’s products over others. A strong personality encourages this by forging emotional bonds so that people start to feel as if they are part of something bigger when they buy from –– or even think about buying from –– their preferred company.

When someone identifies closely enough with a firm’s defining traits or values, feeling loyal towards them becomes second nature; staying committed then becomes far more accessible: not only does this boost sales directly through repeat purchases, but it also gets more advocates on board, since you’re not going to recommend something you don’t feel loyal towards yourself.

Coca-Cola provides an example of a longstanding, well-established branded personality. It has been associated with happiness (in any number of guises) for decades. The ads regularly evoke nostalgia while promoting joy; sometimes, it almost seems the drink itself isn’t being advertised at all. 

Many people have developed great affection for Coca-Cola as a result —- “people love Coke,” was one way Coca-Cola put it in 2017 — which means many prefer drinking its products rather than those made by rivals PepsiCo or Britvic (to say nothing of supermarket own-label).

A common thread running through years’ worth of advertising campaigns appears partly responsible for building consumer loyalty. And by nurturing a branded personality that people love, the Coca-Cola Company has been able to attract more business and grow.

By establishing a strong brand personality that appeals to their target audience, businesses can acquire new customers and build loyalty among them; this, in turn, increases sales (recurring revenue) and advocacy (more ambassadors for brands).

Cultivating a Strong Relationship With the Audience Through Brand Personality Types

A robust branding personality helps to develop a long-lasting relationship between a company and its audience. By continuously projecting the traits and principles of the brand, businesses can create a sense of trust and intimacy with their customer base. This can be achieved in various ways, such as through social media engagement, marketing campaigns, customer service or brand experiences. Companies that develop this relationship can build customer advocacy and ultimately generate loyalty.

It is crucial that brands consistently project their personality if they want to cultivate strong relationships with their audience. Through repeated exposure to and identification with these characteristics across different touchpoints, customers will start to feel familiar with them – even trusting them – on an emotional level.

For example, suppose a brand has an honest persona. In that case, they should consistently demonstrate integrity in all communications, speak openly about ethical business practices, and address complaints promptly via responsive customer service channels such as social media.

By delivering a consistent experience (and maintaining those personality traits), brands will start building up trust over time – which will help attract loyal customers who have an emotional connection with the business because it always delivers what they expect.

Brands can use various marketing channels and touchpoints to reinforce these character attributes – helping audiences engage more deeply with those personalities by bringing them to life: creating memorable experiences for consumers at events or via online user-generated content projects, for example.

By establishing strong relationships between themselves and the people that matter most (their target market) via consistent messaging around key character attributes, brands don’t just win loyal advocates but also earn important word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied customers, increasing reach beyond existing markets or demographics – allowing brand-audience bonds grow more robust than ever before.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, the power of brand personality lies in its ability to help brands differentiate themselves, connect with audiences on a deeper level and build loyalty. By defining and implementing a well-crafted brand personality, companies can create an identity that resonates with their target market and sets them apart from competitors. Those who get it properly gain strategically positioned brands, engaged customers and long-term relationships built on shared values and emotional connections. Such connections promote customer acquisition as well as retention, loyalty and advocacy.

Creating a solid brand personality requires consistency, alignment with the target audience’s values and an approach incorporating visual and verbal identities. Brands need to effectively leverage the dimensions of brand personality across various touchpoints to deliver memorable experiences that set them apart from competitors.