Research has shown that brands who take on a human personality are more relatable, and therefore more appealing.  Without a personality, brands can feel lifeless and lack focus and uniqueness.  Big brands like Levi’s, M&M’s, Coca Cola, etc., have known this for a long time and use personalities to bring their brands to life.  These personalities are officially called archetypes – there are 12 of them, and they stem from mythical characters.  The concept of using archetypes for branding purposes was developed in 1919 by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychologist.  He realized that these 12 personality types are universal and could be globally understood.  Nearly every character that you see in movies, books, TV shows, etc., embodies one of these 12 personalities, and thanks to Carl Jung, that has extended to brands as well.

Here is a brief summary of the 12 personality types.  Each of them has specific traits that include desires, strengths, weaknesses, and fears (not all listed here).  You might think of different brands or characters in stories that you know as you read through them.

The Caregiver: Compassionate, trustworthy, warm, inviting  (Brand Example: Campbell’s Soup)

The Comedian: Enjoys life, lighthearted, playful, lives in the moment (Brand Example: M&M’s)

The Creator:  Uniquely creative, cultured, inspirational, imaginative (Brand Example: Crayola)

The Explorer:  Trailblazer, adventurous, ambitious, wants to take you somewhere (Brand Example: The North Face)

The Girl/Guy Next Door: Down to earth, humble, friendly, wants to be everyone’s buddy (Brand Example: Levi’s)

The Hero:  Warrior, strong, courageous, saves the day (Brand Example: FedEx)

The Innocent: Calm, desires simplicity, peace, and well-being (Brand Example: LaCroix)

The Lover: Desirous, indulgent, passionate, cherishes pleasure and relationships (Brand Example: Godiva Chocolate)

The Magician: Makes dreams come true, transforms, inventive, is a visionary (Brand Example: Disney)

The Outlaw: Bold, unafraid, seeks revolution, not a follower (Brand Example: Harley-Davidson)

The Ruler: Sophisticated, quality, wants power, wants to be the best (Brand Example: Mercedes Benz)

The Sage: Wise, analytical, impactful, giver of advice (Brand Example: TED)

It might seem that with only 12 characters for every single brand or story in the world to use that brands would start looking alike, however, the ways that each character can be portrayed are endless and unique to each brand!  Example: Victoria’s Secret and Godiva Chocolate both utilize the Lover as their brand’s character.  You can sense some commonalities in the characteristics, but they each portray the archetype in very different ways.

So why is it important for your brand to have a personality?

1. Because there is competition. Chances are that you aren’t the only one out there doing what you do.  Think of the many chocolate brands out there.  How is it possible that they can all survive doing basically the same thing?  When you boil it down, (pun intended), they’re all just making and selling chocolate.  But add some personalities to the mix, and things get really interesting!  M&M’s utilizes the Comedian personality…look how that spin takes them from basic chocolate to something really fun and unique!  Godiva’s personality is the Lover; this makes the way that they create and market their chocolate completely different from M&Ms!  The list could go on and on.

2.  Giving your brand a personality is a guide to help you stay consistent. Consistency in branding is crucial!  Nobody likes that person who acts a certain way one day, then is completely different the next day.  You never know what to expect from them, and you and you feel like you can’t rely on them.  You don’t want anyone feeling that way about your business!  People need to understand your brand, be able to engage with it in an effortless way, and know what they can expect from it.  Every time.  Using a personality is one of the major things that guides a brand on how to look, act, speak,  etc.  This helps to take the guess-work out of how you should approach everything from design,  marketing, growth, and more, and keeps you on a consistent track.

3.  It establishes emotional connection.  People don’t connect with packaging or products or services.  You can’t establish an emotional connection with a lifeless item, but you can with a person!  When you give your brand a personality, it gives your customers and potential customers something to connect with, and believe it or not, that connection is an emotional one.  Emotions are actually what drive purchase decisions.  There are countless studies that reveal how purchase decisions are made from the emotional part of the brain and that when people are emotionally connected to a brand, they are more likely to stay loyal to it.  Maybe someone isn’t weeping at the thought of your product or service (hopefully not), but I think we can all relate to making a purchase decision due to a “gut instinct”, or that feeling we get about whether we want something and how it can improve our lives.

When working with clients to develop their business’ personality, we give careful consideration to what is the best fit for them both now, and for future growth.  If you want to make sure that you have a solid brand foundation, stand out from your competition, and look appealing to your clients and potential clients, send me a message, I would love to hear from you!