Brand Personality

A really nice presentation describing Brand personality in very simple terms

1. Brand PersonalityBrand Personality

2. 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

3. 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’

4. 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

5. 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

6. In essence…In essence…
‘Personality traits are what
the brand will live and die for’

7. 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

8. Example: Example: SpinzSpinz
Young
Modern
Active
Outdoor
Cheerful
Friendly
‘‘Life of the Party’Life of the Party’

9. 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.,

10. 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

11. 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?

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.,

15. 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!

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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.,

19. 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

20. How it creates brand equity?How it creates brand equity?
The ways brand personality can create brand
equity are summarized by 3 models:
3.The Self-Expression Model
5.The Relationship Basis Model
7.The Functional Benefit Representation Model

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. The Relationship Basis ModelThe Relationship Basis Model
•Two elements affect individual’s
relationship with a brand
3.Relationship between the brand-as-person and
the customer
–Which is analogous to the relationship between two
people
5.The brand personality
–The type of person the brand represents

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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