Branding

What is brand personality? 

Brand personality is the set of human characteristics that you associate with your brand, such as friendly, focused or reliable. It is how you want your customers to perceive and feel about your brand or company and it influences the tone, style, and language of your communication. Brand personality helps you differentiate your brand or business from others. This helps create emotional bonds with your customers, and build loyalty and trust.

An example? A fun message on an error page- small touch but goes a long way.

What is brand authenticity?

Brand authenticity is the extent to which your brand is consistent, honest, and transparent in its communication and actions. It helps you establish credibility, a reputation, and place in your industry, and it attracts customers who share your values and beliefs.

A brand story and the types of causes they support have become very prevalent. Think sustainability, contributions or even pledges for the future is very important to consumers.

An example? “environmentally sustainable,” “eco-friendly,” “fair trade” 

Why are these important?

Combined, these help you create a unique identity and voice for your brand and enable you to communicate with your customers in a more engaging and personal way.

By developing a brand personality and authenticity that match your target audience’s preferences and needs, you can increase your brand awareness, recognition, and even build a sense community among your customers. Moreover, and more importantly, brand personality and authenticity can help you stand out from the competition.

How to create an authentic brand voice?

Consistency is key.

Once you have established who you are and want to be, it’s imperative to be consistent across any/all communication touch points.

Things to consider:

-Identify your brand values, mission, and vision, and how they relate to your audience’s needs and expectations. T

-Choose a tone, style, and language that reflect them.

-Create a brand voice guide or document that outlines these and provides examples.

Examples of brands with authentic personalities:

Patagonia, an outdoor clothing and gear company, has a passionate, daring, and ecological tone. Storytelling, visuals, and activism are used to communicate its persona and values in order to motivate its customers to join its mission.