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How should “Brand Personality” be Described?

A brand’s personality is a shorthand way to convey its belief system.

This series revisits the basics of branding and marketing by answering questions marketers, entrepreneurs and small business owners face when growing their business. I hope this series provides you with knowledge to think smarter and a nudge to make stuff happen.


How should “Brand Personality” be Described?

The surest way a brand will form emotional connections with customers is through its unique personality. It’s also the surest (and strongest) way for us to form emotional connections with people.

Think about your close circle of friends. Each one of them is sure to have a uniquely compelling personality. If they didn’t, you wouldn’t want to spend time with them.

I’m sure if you were to list the attributes of your closest friends, it would look a lot like this:

This list of personality attributes actually comes from an exercise Starbucks marketers did many years ago. We listed all the personality traits we believed the Starbucks brand should convey to customers and ended up with a list that mirrors the traits we seek in a best friend. Gracious. Encouraging. Respectful. Warm. Genuine. Quick-Witted.

Every brand has a personality. And every ENDEARING brand seeks to stand for something beyond being faster, cheaper, better.

A brand’s personality is a shorthand way to convey a brand’s belief system. Marketers should create a list of brand personality traits to serve as a guide to help them design marketing materials and programs that are on-brand in spirit and in the marketplace.


REVISITING THE BASICS | archive

#01 | How Should a Brand be Defined?
#02 | What’s the Difference between Branding and Marketing?
#03 | Is there a Difference between a Company Name and a Brand Name?
#04 | Does every Brand need a Unique Selling Position?
#05 | Do Consumers Really Feel Emotional about Brands?
#06 | How should “Brand Personality” be Described?