What exactly are we talking about when we talk about brand personification?

In an era of information overload, it is difficult for brands to break through with product quality alone. At this time, "brand personification" becomes a key strategy, which gives brands human characteristics and establishes emotional connections. As described in Jung's theory, common human archetypes are deeply rooted in people's hearts. Brands use this theory to establish deep connections with consumers through specific personalities. From Apple's innovation to Dove's authentic beauty, the personification strategy allows these brands to stand out in the fierce market competition.

For marketing practitioners, "Brand Personification" is not unfamiliar. It is one of the important marketing topics that everyone talks about on a daily basis, and it is also what many friends are already doing.

In today's era of information explosion, if a brand wants to stand out from many competitors, it not only needs high-quality products and services, but also unique personal charm.

As a marketing strategy, brand personification has become an important means for brands to establish deep emotional connections with consumers. By giving brands human characteristics, it can not only enhance brand recognition and appeal, but also establish a unique brand image in the minds of consumers.

But what exactly are we talking about when we talk about brand personification?

01 What is brand personification?

A widely accepted definition of “brand anthropomorphism” is the process of giving a brand human-like traits, personalities or behavior patterns.

To put it simply, it means: treat the brand as a person and let the brand operate as a person.

Viewing a brand as a person with unique personality traits, values, communication style and storytelling ability makes the brand no longer just an abstract concept or collection of products, but an entity that can establish an emotional connection with consumers.

Specifically, brand personification includes but is not limited to the following aspects:

1. Personality traits: Brands can be assigned specific personality traits such as friendly, humorous, reliable, innovative, etc. These personality traits help shape the personality of the brand and make it easier for consumers to identify and remember the brand.
2. Values: Brands can also express certain values ​​or beliefs, such as sustainability, social responsibility, pursuit of excellence, etc. These values ​​can resonate with consumers and deepen their identification with the brand.
3. Communication style: A brand shows its personality through its communication style, including language style, visual elements, etc. For example, using a light-hearted and humorous language style or a warm and friendly visual design can make the brand appear more approachable.
4. Storytelling: By telling the story behind the brand or a story that consumers can relate to, a brand can demonstrate its uniqueness and inspire emotional resonance among consumers.
5. Interactive experience: Brands can also demonstrate their personal side through interaction with consumers, such as interaction on social media, customer service experience, etc.

In fact, there is a close connection between "brand personification" and brand archetype theory.

Psychologist Jung believed that a series of archetype systems composed of human cultural heritage coexist in the human subconscious. This is a psychological pattern hidden in humans that has been inherited for tens of thousands of years. It carries a cultural commonality that allows individuals to produce conditioned reflexes "without thinking and without agreement."

The brand archetype theory applies this assumption to brand building, believing that brands can also be seen as a manifestation of these archetypes. Therefore, by constructing brand archetypes (brand personality), it helps to mobilize consumers' subconsciousness and drive their actions to complete choices, decisions, purchases and establish emotional connections with the brand.

Later, American scholars Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson summarized the brand archetype theory, dividing brand archetypes into 12 cultural archetypes in four major categories.

• Category 1: Independent personality includes three cultural archetypes: the naive, the explorer, and the wise;
• Category 2: The controlling personality includes three cultural archetypes: hero, disruptor, and magician;
• Category 3: Subordinate personality includes three cultural archetypes: the mortal, the lover, and the clown;
• Category 4: Stable personality includes three cultural archetypes: caregiver, creator, and ruler.

Image source: Strategist Zang Feng

Brand archetypes provide a powerful tool for brand personification, enabling brands to create a unique image in the marketplace and build more meaningful relationships with consumers.

Brand personification makes a brand more humane by giving it specific personality traits, while brand archetypes provide a set of preset personality templates, and brands can choose corresponding archetypes according to their own positioning, such as "explorer", "hero" or "caregiver", etc. This choice not only ensures the consistency of brand personality traits, but also builds a rich storytelling framework for the brand, which helps deepen consumers' understanding and memory of the brand.

More importantly, different archetypes represent different values. By associating with a specific archetype, a brand can more clearly communicate its core values ​​and thereby establish a deeper emotional connection with consumers.

02 What is the value of brand personification to brand marketing?

Brand personification is becoming more and more important in today's market competition and is of great value to brand marketing work. This is because consumers not only pay attention to the functionality of products, but also increasingly value the emotional value and personal identity of the brand.

1. Enhance emotional connection

Brand personification can help build a deeper emotional connection between the brand and consumers. By giving the brand a distinct personality trait, such as humor, reliability, innovation or friendliness, consumers can more easily resonate with it, thereby increasing their loyalty to the brand.

For example, Apple’s brand image is shaped as innovative, simple and high-end. This personalized expression makes consumers feel that Apple is not just a technology company, but also represents a lifestyle.

2. Improve brand recognition

It is not easy to stand out among many brands, and brand personification can improve brand recognition through unique brand stories and image design. A brand with a strong personality is easier to be remembered by people, thus leaving a deep impression in the minds of consumers.

For example, Coca-Cola conveys its brand spirit of happiness and sharing through its consistent positive and optimistic image and classic slogan "Open Happiness". This personalized expression has made it extremely well-known around the world.

3. Shape brand values

Brand personification helps to clarify the brand’s core values ​​and communicate them to the target audience. When a brand has a clear personality, it can better resonate with consumers’ values.

For example, Patagonia, an outdoor clothing brand with a strong sense of environmental protection, emphasizes sustainability and social responsibility in its brand personification, which not only attracts a large number of consumers who value environmental protection, but also enhances the brand's positive image and social influence.

4. Promote word-of-mouth communication

When consumers believe that a brand has similar personality and values ​​to themselves, they are more inclined to recommend the brand to others. This kind of word-of-mouth communication is far more effective than traditional advertising because it is based on real feelings and is easier to gain the trust of others.

For example, Airbnb has successfully positioned itself as a humanistic brand through its brand slogan “Belong Anywhere” and story-sharing platform. This personalized presentation has inspired many users to proactively share their accommodation experiences, thus promoting widespread dissemination of the brand.

5. Enhance brand adaptability

As the market environment changes, brands also need to constantly adjust their strategies and images. Brand personification can make brands more flexible in responding to different market challenges. A brand with a distinct personality is more likely to make corresponding adjustments according to changes in consumer demand, thereby maintaining the vitality and relevance of the brand.

For example, Nike has successfully adapted to the market demands of various occasions, from sports to fashion, from competition to leisure, by constantly updating the spiritual core of its brand slogan "Just Do It".

6. Create differentiated competitive advantages

In a market with serious homogeneity, brand personalization can help companies stand out from their competitors. By creating a unique brand personality, companies can create a competitive advantage that is difficult to replicate.

For example, the Dove brand has established an image in the beauty care field that advocates confidence and real beauty through its "Real Beauty" proposition. This differentiated personalization strategy makes Dove unique among many similar products.

03 How to implement brand personality?

Building a personalized brand is not a simple marketing campaign or a short-term promotional activity, but a long-term project closely related to brand strategy. It must not only fit the brand positioning but also serve the realization of long-term and short-term marketing goals.

Step 1: Define your brand personality (choose your brand archetype)

In the process of making brand personification truly come true, we first need to clarify the brand's personality positioning or choose the brand archetype.

This requires us to explore the brand personality (brand archetype) that can resonate with the needs, values ​​and preferences of the target audience from the perspective of cultural concepts, based on clear brand positioning and target audiences. This personality may be friendly, innovative, reliable, and able to reflect the unique charm of the brand.

Brand personality can either inspire consumers to yearn for their ideal self, such as a heroic spirit of struggle or a rebellious innovative attitude, or be close to consumers' real lives and provide products or services that match their current status. This consistency with consumers' personality helps to establish a deeper emotional connection and enhance brand identity and loyalty.

Step 2: Create the corresponding brand story & brand vision

The brand story is the soul of brand personification, which allows consumers to have a deeper understanding of the brand's origin, development history and core values. The visual image is the external manifestation of brand personification, including color, font, logo, packaging design, etc., which should echo the brand's personality to form a unique visual identification system.

In addition, you can consider creating a unique brand voice. Through careful design of language style, tone, wording, etc., consumers can immediately associate it with the brand itself when they hear the brand voice.

Step 3: Build a content system and continue to disseminate it

With a clear brand personality positioning and visual image, the brand needs to build a rich and coherent content system and continuously disseminate it through multiple channels. The content system should be developed around the brand personality positioning and create a variety of content forms. It should be noted that these contents should be able to reflect the brand's story and values. For example, if the brand is defined as an "explorer", then the content should revolve around the theme of exploring the unknown and pursuing novel experiences. These contents must not only be of high quality, but also creative and resonate with consumers.

In addition, it is extremely important to create opportunities for consumers to interact with the brand, such as organizing social media challenges, online activities, etc., to deepen consumers' understanding and love of the brand through interaction.

Step 4: Continuous optimization and adjustment

The implementation of brand personification is not achieved overnight, but a process of continuous optimization and adjustment. Brands need to regularly analyze communication effect data to understand which content is more popular with consumers and which channels are more effective. At the same time, brands also need to collect consumers' opinions and suggestions through user surveys and other methods to understand their feelings and expectations about brand personification.

Based on these data and feedback, brands can adjust their communication strategies and content formats in a timely manner to ensure the continued and effective implementation of brand personification. In addition, brands also need to maintain keen market insight and flexibility, respond to changes in the market environment and consumer demand in a timely manner, and ensure that brand personification always keeps pace with the market and consumers.

04 【Conclusion】

In today's rapidly changing market environment, brand personification has become an indispensable part of brand marketing. By giving the brand human characteristics, it can not only deepen consumers' understanding and memory of the brand, but also establish a closer connection with consumers on an emotional level. As we have discussed, brand personification is not only a part of the marketing strategy, but also a long-term strategic plan involving the comprehensive application of multiple levels such as brand positioning, storytelling, and visual design.

The journey of brand personalization is a long-term battle that requires persistent efforts and continuous innovation. In this process, brands need to constantly listen to consumers, understand their needs and expectations, and adjust and improve their personalization strategies accordingly. Only in this way can brands stand out in the fierce market competition and establish irreplaceable brand value and long-term brand loyalty.