BRAND PERSONALITY

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

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Brand Personality
Example: Axe Seduction, masculinity, unconventionality

individuality,

Marlboro Masculinity, freedom, adventure

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Advantages
Enriches 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

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Advantages
Contributes 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

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Advantages
Guides 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

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Advantages
Creates brand equity

Builds long-term brand equity

Differentiates the brand and makes it distinct from other competitive offerings Serves as a powerful relationship device

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15 Types Of Relationships Exist Between A Consumer And A Brand

Committed Partnership: Long term and voluntary relationship. Marriage of convenience: Long term bond that springs from a chance encounter.

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15 Types Of Relationships Exist Between A Consumer And A Brand

Arranged Marriage: Long commitment imposed by third party. term

Casual Friendship: Friendship that is low in intimacy, with only occasional interaction and few expectations.

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15 Types Of Relationships Exist Between A Consumer And A Brand

Close Friendship: Voluntary union based on sense of shared intimacy and rewards. A consumer believes a brand of sneakers is a comrade in daily athletics activities.

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15 Types Of Relationships Exist Between A Consumer And A Brand

Compartmental Friendship: Highly specialized friendship, often dependent on the situation and characterized by low intimacy. Uses different brands of perfumes for different activities.

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15 Types Of Relationships Exist Between A Consumer And A Brand

Kinship: Involuntary union of the cost associated with family. A cook feels obliged to use the same kind of flour his or her mother used.

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15 Types Of Relationships Exist Between A Consumer And A Brand

Rebound Relationship: Union based on desire to replace a prior partner. Childhood Friendship: Affectionate relationship of infrequent interaction dating back to childhood. A man buys a brand of instant dessert because he remembers eating it in his childhood.
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15 Types Of Relationships Exist Between A Consumer And A Brand

Courtship: Period of testing before deciding on a committed partnership. Dependency: Obsessive attraction that results in suffering when the partner is unavailable. A consumer is upset when a favourite peanut butter is out of stock.

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15 Types Of Relationships Exist Between A Consumer And A Brand

Fling: Short term engagement with great emotional rewards. A consumer loyal to one kind of coffee enjoys sampling a competitors brand.

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15 Types Of Relationships Exist Between A Consumer And A Brand

Adversarial Relationship: Intense relationship characterized by negative feelings and a desire to inflict pain. A man refuses to buy a brand of computer that he hates, buying a competitors brand out of spite.

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15 Types Of Relationships Exist Between A Consumer And A Brand

Enslavement: Involuntary relationship governed exclusively by partners wishes and desires. A consumer is unhappy with the local cable operator but has no alternative source for this service.

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15 Types Of Relationships Exist Between A Consumer And A Brand

Secret Affair: Highly emotional, private relationship that is considered risky.
A consumer hides a favourite brand of frozen dessert in the freezer and sneaks some late at night.

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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

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PRODUCT-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 Adventurous etc., to be Young, Lively,

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User 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

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Sponsorships
Activities such as events sponsored by the brand will influence its personality Ponds sponsoring Feminas Miss India contest

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Age
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.,

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Symbol
A symbol can be a powerful influence on brand personality since it can be controlled and can have extremely strong associations Some examples
Apples bitten apple Nikes swoosh
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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

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The 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

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HOW BRAND HELPS EXPRESS PERSONALITY?

Feelings 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
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HOW BRAND HELPS EXPRESS PERSONALITY?

The brand as a badge A brand could serve as a consumers personal statement

Cars, cosmetics, apparels lend themselves to personality expression because their use occurs in a social context with relatively high involvement
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HOW BRAND HELPS EXPRESS PERSONALITY?

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

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THE 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

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The 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

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The Relationship Basis Model

Two elements affect individuals 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
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Functional 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
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Functional benefit representation model

Marlboros personality of a macho, freedom-loving, adventurous person suggests that the product is strong Harley Davidsons personality of a rugged, macho, I-am-different-kind suggests that the product is a powerful, liberating vehicle

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Functional 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

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Functional 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 customers 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
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