Searching for articles on Brand Personality, I came across a great piece by Mark Nicholson entitled Humanizing Digital Brand Perception. Mark’s piece provides a number of thoughts, quotes and questions that help get brand managers thinking about Humanising their Brand and what type of personality best suits the Brand.
From the article:
(emphasis mine)
Developing a bond with customers, like any relationship, is tied to trust.
Consistent cues that consumers identify with that are aligned with personal beliefs and values suggest purpose, can create strong impressions, and act as a narrative towards building brand equity.
If you compared the relationship of brands with that between humans, its sort of a one-sided affair. Those that go the extra mile can receive admiration and respect.Social media… does have the distinct advantage of being a voice that can display personality and engage with consumers, which has proven to fuel a fan base, but humanizing a digital brand often requires the creation of an emotional connection.
What really stands out and what Mark does a great job capturing is the fact that as both individuals and as customers, our relationships with brands are very very human. We want to buy, engage and support brands that are aligned with our beliefs and values. We want to respect and be respected. Most of all and perhaps where it matters, we want an emotional connection with the brands in our lives.
While all of the above is easily said, the harder question posed to brand managers is how do we do this and what’s the best way to create an authentic and emotional connection with our customers and audience at large?
At Brand Reflections, this is something we’re thinking about a lot right now and we’re currently exploring our own approach to Brand Personality and everything that goes with it.
Image from Sigurd Decroos
