How Distinctive is Your Brand Personality?
In general order of importance, strong brands are: trustworthy, authentic, reliable, admirable, appealing, honest, representative of something, likeable, popular, unique, believable, relevant, known for performance, service-oriented, and innovative.
Not all brands have a personality, or at least a strong, distinctive personality. However, those brands that do have personality have a significant advantage; they are more likely to stand out from the crowd and have a message. Key benefits of a strong brand personality are:
- Represent and communicate functional benefits
- Provide energy
- Define a brand relationship
- Guiding brand-building programs
- Help understand the customer
A brand’s personality and values are often a function of the following;
- The personality and values of the organization’s founder
- The personality and values of the organization’s current leader
- The personalities and values of the organization’s most zealous customers/members/clients
- The brand’s carefully drafted design/positioning
- Some combination of the above
A Brand Personality Scale by Aaker
- Sincerity: down-to-earth (family-oriented, small-town), honest (sincere), wholesome (original), cheerful (sentimental, friendly)
- Excitement: daring (trendy, exciting), spirited (cool, young), imaginative (unique), up-to-date (independent, contemporary)
- Competence: reliable (hardworking, secure), intelligent (technical, corporate), successful (leader, confident)
- Sophistication: the upper class (glamorous, good looking), charming (feminine, smooth)
- Ruggedness: outdoorsy (masculine, western), tough (rugged)
Would you like to understand this better and also use it to your advantage? Connect with the Anaahat team and explore.
Reference: Jennifer Aaker (1997). Dimensions of Brand Personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34, August, 347-357