Brand PersonalityBrand Personality

What is brand personality?What is brand personality?

• Brand Personality is a set of human characteristics associated with a brand

• Personality is how the brand behaves

• Gender, age, socio-economic class, psychographic, emotional characteristics

Some examples…Some examples…

• Marlboro is ‘masculine’ while Virginia Slims is ‘feminine’

• IBM is ‘older’ while Apple is ‘younger’

• India Today is ‘old-fashioned’ while Outlook is ‘trendier’

• Coke is ‘conforming’ while Pepsi is ‘irreverent’

About brand personalityAbout brand personality

• Brand Personality, like human personality, is both distinctive and enduring– Both are built over a period of time

• Refers to the outcome of all the consumer’s experiences with the brand

• In other words, the brand’s personality is the weighted average of previous impressions

• In consumer’s mind, these impressions merge to form an overall concept of what to expect from brand

More about it…More about it…

• Brand Personality is eagerly searched by brand strategists and researchers

• Differences in responses by different consumers provide useful insights

• For example, users of a product will perceive a brand different from non-users

In essence…In essence…

‘Personality traits are what

the brand will live and die for’

Examples…Examples…

AxeAxe• Seduction, masculinity, inviduality, Seduction, masculinity, inviduality,

unconventionalityunconventionality

MarlboroMarlboro• Masculinity, freedom, adventureMasculinity, freedom, adventure

Levi’sLevi’s• Rebellion, sensuality, being coolRebellion, sensuality, being cool

Example: Example: SpinzSpinz

Young

Modern

Active

Outdoor

Cheerful

Friendly

‘‘Life of the Party’Life of the Party’

Why use brand personality?Why use brand personality?

Enriches understandingEnriches understanding• Helps gain an in-depth understanding of

consumer perceptions of and attitudes towards the brand

• Can provide more insight than is gained by asking about attribute perceptions

• For ex., Microsoft, IBM etc.,

Why use brand personality?Why use brand personality?

Contributes to a differentiating identityContributes to a differentiating identity• Can differentiate brands especially where

brands are similar in product attributes

• In fact, it can define not only the brand but the product class context and experience

• Mercedes Vs BMW; Clinic Plus Vs Pantene

Why use brand personality?Why use brand personality?

Guides the communication effortGuides the communication effort

• Communicates the brand identity with richness and texture

• If the brand is specified only in terms of attribute associations, very little meaningful guidance is provided– Is Nike shoes or sports, performance and

attitude?

Why use brand personality?Why use brand personality?

Creates brand equityCreates brand equity

• Builds long-term brand equity

• Differentiates the brand and makes it distinct from other competitive offerings

• Serves as a powerful relationship device

How to create brand personality?How to create brand personality?

• Personality of a person is affected by everything associated with him – friends, neighbourhood, activities, clothes etc.,

• So too is a brand personality

Product-related characteristicsProduct-related characteristics

• Product-related characteristics can be primary drivers of a brand personality– Even the product class can affect personality

• Banks, Insurance etc., tend to be Competent, Serious, Masculine, Older and Upper-class

• Athletic shoes tend to be Young, Lively, Rugged, Outdoorsy, Adventurous etc.,

Product-related characteristicsProduct-related characteristics

• Product attributes can often affect brand personality

• A ‘light’ beer would largely be classy, sophisticated etc.,

• A high-priced brand will be considered wealthy, stylish and perhaps snobbish!

User imageryUser imagery

• Can be powerful driver of personality because user is already a person and so conceptualizing the personality is reduced

• User Imagery can be people who use the brand or those portrayed in advertising

SponsorshipsSponsorships

• Activities such as events sponsored by the brand will influence its personality

• Pond’s sponsoring Femina’s ‘Miss India’ contest

• Budweiser sponsoring the blimp in American sporting events

AgeAge

• How long a brand has been on the market can affect its personality

• New entrants like Apple, Outlook etc., tend to have younger brand personalities than IBM, India Today etc.,

SymbolSymbol

• A symbol can be a powerful influence on brand personality since it can be controlled and can have extremely strong associations

• Some examples…– Apple’s bitten apple– Nike’s swoosh– MetLife’s Peanuts character

How it creates brand equity?How it creates brand equity?

The ways brand personality can create brand equity are summarized by 3 models:

1. The Self-Expression Model

2. The Relationship Basis Model

3. The Functional Benefit Representation Model

The self-expression modelThe self-expression model

• The basic premise is that for some customers, some brands become vehicles to express a part of their self-identity

• This self-identity can be their actual identity or an ideal self to which they might aspire

• Apple is perceived as friendly, unpretentious, irreverent and willing to go against the grain– This is because Mac is easy-to-use and also due to

its symbol, advertising, user groups etc.,– The use of Apple expresses a personal identity of

being non-corporate and creative

How brand helps express personality?How brand helps express personality?

Feelings engendered by brand personalityFeelings engendered by brand personality

• There can be a set of feelings and emotions attached to a brand personality, just as there are to a person– The use of such brands can cause feelings and emotions to

emerge

• Feelings, when using a Harley-Davidson or Apple would not emerge when using a Honda or Compaq

How brand helps express personality?How brand helps express personality?

The brand as a badgeThe brand as a badge

• A brand could serve as a consumer’s personal statement

• Cars, cosmetics, apparels lend themselves to personality expression because their use occurs in a social context with relatively high involvement

How brand helps express personality?How brand helps express personality?

The brand becomes part of the selfThe brand becomes part of the self• The ultimate personality expression occurs when

a brand becomes an extension or an integral part of the self

• The executive who wears Allen Solly on a Friday feels semi-casual and waiting to welcoming the weekend!

• The potential to create this oneness with some people can represent a significant opportunity for a brand

The relationship basis modelThe relationship basis model

• Some people may never aspire to have a certain personality trait but would like to have a relationship with one who has that

• A trustworthy, dependable, conservative personality might be seen boring but sought nevertheless, from banks or financial products

• The concept of a relationship between a brand and a person provides a different perspective on how brand personality might work

The Relationship Basis ModelThe Relationship Basis Model

• To see how this model works, consider personality types of people with whom we have relationships and the nature of those relationships

• Spirited, young, up-to-date, outgoing– Pepsi– On a weekend evening, it might be enjoyable

to have a friend who has these personality features

The Relationship Basis ModelThe Relationship Basis Model

• Two elements affect individual’s relationship with a brand

1. Relationship between the brand-as-person and the customer– Which is analogous to the relationship between two

people

2. The brand personality– The type of person the brand represents

Functional benefit representation modelFunctional benefit representation model

• The previous two models provide contexts in which brand personality can be the basis for a brand strategy and a link to the customer

• A brand personality can also play a more indirect role by being a vehicle for representing and cueing functional benefits and brand attributes

Functional benefit representation modelFunctional benefit representation model

• Marlboro’s personality of a macho, freedom-loving, adventurous person suggests that the product is strong

• Harley Davidson’s personality of a rugged, macho, I-am-different-kind suggests that the product is a powerful, liberating vehicle

Functional benefit representation modelFunctional benefit representation model

• When a visual symbol or image exists that can create and cue personality…– …the ability of the personality to reinforce brand

attributes will be greater

• The Energizer rabbit is an upbeat, indefatigable personality who never runs out of energy– Just as the battery it symbolizes runs longer than

others

Functional benefit representation modelFunctional benefit representation model

• A brand personality that represents a functional benefit or attribute may be relatively ineffective if it lacks a visual image established in the customer’s mind

• A country or region of origin can add credibility to an identity– It can generate a strong personality that

provides a quality cue and a key point of differentiation

To sum up…To sum up…

• A brand personality can help a brand in several ways:– It can provide a vehicle for customers to express their

own identity– A brand personality metaphor helps suggests the kind

of relationship that customer has with brand– Brand personalities serve to represent and cue

functional benefits and product attributes well

• Importantly, brand personality is often a sustainable point of differentiation– Sustainable because it is very difficult to copy a

personality