# What Is Brand Personality? How It Works and Examples

## What Is Brand Personality?

The term "brand personality" refers to a set of characteristics that is attributed to a brand name. An effective brand increases its [brand equity](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brandequity.asp) by having consistent traits that resonate with one or more consumer segments.

This brand personality provides a company with qualitative value in addition to those benefits derived from the functional desirability of its products and/or services.

A brand personality is something to which the consumer can relate. If the consumer becomes a regular customer, they may forge a strong relationship with the brand due to the brand personality. They may even start to connect parts of their own personality with the brand personality.

### Key Takeaways

*   Brand personality is a set of characteristics that is attributed to a [brand](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brand.asp) name.
*   Companies should accurately define their brand personalities so that they resonate with their target consumers.
*   A company's brand should aim to elicit a positive emotional response from a targeted consumer segment.
*   The personal side of brand personality is especially important in the digital age of artificial intelligence and automation.
*   Don't confuse brand personality with imagery, which consists of a company's creative assets.

![Brand Personality](https://www.investopedia.com/thmb/AeNQNg30sEwD9zwDrnJH11qY-8Y=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/brandpersonaliity_definition_final_0826-b6d0fa7b244a420cb8e4d084a1d26a78.jpg)

*— Investopedia / Sydney Saporito*

## How Brand Personality Works

Brand personality is a framework that helps a company or [organization](https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/120915/which-type-organization-best-your-business.asp) shape the way people feel about its product, service, or mission. A company's brand personality elicits an emotional response from a specific consumer segment. The purpose of building a brand personality is to drive positive consumer actions that benefit the business.

Customers are more likely to spend money on products from a company with a brand personality that's similar to their own. There are five main types of brand personalities with common traits:

1.  **Excitement**: Carefree, spirited, playful, modern, trendy, and youthful
2.  **Sincerity**: Kindness, thoughtfulness, and an orientation toward family values, environmental sustainability, or care for workers and communities
3.  **Ruggedness**: Rough, tough, outdoorsy, unfussy, and athletic
4.  **Competence**: Successful, accomplished, and influential, highlighted by leadership
5.  **Sophistication**: Elegant, prestigious, exclusive, luxurious, and sometimes even pretentious

The development of brand personalities is nothing new. But they are even more important in the digital age where the use of automation and [artificial intelligence (AI)](https://www.investopedia.com/news/how-artificial-intelligence-will-boost-these-8-stocks/) technology is increasing at a dramatic pace.

As much as consumers enjoy being able to shop online or have companies predict their preferences, studies show that people still want personal interaction and direct [customer service](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/customer-service.asp) when doing business with companies.  

Companies share their brand personality in a variety of ways. Marketing materials, both written and visual, emphasize and communicate brand qualities and values. If a brand partners with celebrities or influencers, they should be people already known for those qualities.

How a business communicates its personality through events, product releases, or charitable partnerships can reflect its relationship with its community or industry.

### New Reality

Consumers want meaningful relationships with brands but many in top management fail to define appropriate brand personalities that could meet that demand.

## Brand Personality vs. Imagery

A company's brand personality should not be confused with its imagery. A company's imagery is a series of creative assets that communicates the personality and tangible benefits of its brand.

Conversely, a firm's brand personality directly creates an emotional association in the mind of an ideal consumer group. Brand personality should influence the imagery and other marketing materials that a company creates and uses. The two go hand in hand.

It is important for a company to accurately define its brand personality so that it resonates with the appropriate consumer. By doing so, it can establish the brand's footing (and power) in the marketplace and increase the company's brand equity.

### Personality and Imagery Work Together

Brand personality is also the key factor of any successful [marketing campaign](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marketing-campaign.asp). In order to choose a brand's personality, companies consider the five personality types and select the one the company wishes to convey. The company then develops brand imagery to express that personality.

If, for example, a new outdoor apparel company wants to resonate with consumers, the natural inclination is to create a [brand](https://www.investopedia.com/articles/financial-theory/11/branding-ultimate-economic-moat.asp) personality that is rugged. But it's possible that a competitor may have already positioned itself as the rugged outdoor apparel brand.

To set itself apart, the new company can position itself uniquely in the mind of the customer with a brand personality of sophistication. This can differentiate the brand as an upscale, high-end option for outdoor apparel. That can attract a specific type of consumer. Once that personality decision is made, the brand imagery that conveys that personality will be created.

## Examples of Brand Personality

There are many examples in the corporate world of brand personality at work. Here are some well-known ones.

### Dove

Dove chose sincerity as its brand personality. In doing so, the company hopes to attract feminine consumers who don't like the superficial image associated with many personal care and beauty brands.

One of Dove's major marketing pushes is the Real Beauty campaign, which features videos that explore how brand images are retouched and photoshopped. It also uses models with differently-sized bodies in its advertisements and features interviews with celebrity activists on its websites.

All this creates a brand personality that feels thoughtful and genuine, which appeals to customers who don't want to be associated with traditional beauty standards.

### Nike

Nike has an exciting brand personality that motivated athletes identify with. The company's motto "Just Do It," evokes a driven, athletic person who is always willing to pursue new goals.

Nike's products and marketing tend to feature bold colors, such as neon accents, that feel energetic and modern. Its commercials show people overcoming obstacles or achieving goals while wearing Nike apparel. Its brand personality feels active, ambitious, and inspirational, which are all personality traits that athletes tend to associate with.

### Luxury Brands

[Luxury brands](https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/091115/psychology-behind-why-people-buy-luxury-goods.asp), such as Michael Kors and Chanel, aim to create a sophisticated, glamorous brand personality which attracts a high-spending consumer base.

These brands use brand imagery that evokes elitism and luxury, with elegant settings and glamorous clothes. Michael Kors calls its rewards programs "VIP," while Chanel has a section on its website devoted to "haute couture."

Their goods are priced above what many shoppers can easily afford, and since they have highly-recognizable logos, customers who buy them can flaunt their ability to make those purchases, without having to say anything directly. All this creates a brand personality that showcases the upper-class, trendy lifestyle that their ideal customers want to be associated with.  

### REI

REI is an outdoor recreation retail store. It has a rugged brand personality that outdoorsy, adventurous customers can identify with. The REI website uses phrases like "Gear Up For Adventure" in its copy and bold, unfussy, colors that are associated with the outdoors and action, such as pine green and dark orange. Event the website is organized not by type of item but by type of activity: Camp & Hike, Cycle, Snow, Water, et cetera.

REI's brand personality feels strong, resilient, and exploratory, which is how its ideal customers want to see themselves.

### Starbucks

Starbucks has positioned itself as having a brand personality with multiple components, including sophistication, sincerity, and excitement. It uses different aspects of its business to express each of these.

*   **Sophistication**: Starbucks advertises its coffee as high-end. Employees are educated about the different types and blends, and Starbucks offers its own exclusive line of coffee for sale. The company has introduced many branded drinks that have become cultural touch points, such as the Frappucino.
*   **Excitement**: Starbucks encourages membership by offering rewards, including seasonal games such as "Adventure Awaits" in summer, in which customers can win prizes. The company usually has seasonal drinks that are only available for a limited time, which drives social media excitement.
*   **Sincerity**: To counter the dislike of customers who see Starbucks as too corporate, the company has a strong environmental and social message. It includes sections on environmental impact and diversity on its website, runs partnerships with different charities, and offers discounts to specific groups, such as veterans.

By creating a brand personality with so many different but complementary aspects, Starbucks is able to appeal to a wide variety of customers who associate themselves with different priorities and traits.

For example, customers who define themselves as socially conscious might generally avoid buying from large corporations. But they can still feel good about associating with Starbucks because the brand supports ESG goals and expresses how Starbucks treats its workers.  

## Why Is It Crucial for Companies to Define Their Brand Personality?

It's important for companies to accurately define their brand personalities so that their expressions of brand resonate with the appropriate consumers. Brand personality is a key factor in increasing brand equity and in any successful marketing campaign. 

## What Are the Different Types of Brand Personalities?

There are five main types of brand personalities with common traits. They are excitement, sincerity, ruggedness, competence, and sophistication. Customers are more likely to make purchases from a company with a brand personality that's similar to their own. 

## Do All Companies Create a Brand Personality?

In many cases, they don't, or their executives don't realize the significance of developing one that properly espouses their mission, vision, and/or beliefs for employees as well as consumers.

## The Bottom Line

Brand personality is represented by a set of characteristics that is attributed to a brand name. Common characteristics are excitement, sincerity, ruggedness, competence, and sophistication. Brand personality and brand imagery are different, though brand imagery should reflect a company's brand personality.

A company's brand should appeal to its target customers. When a company defines and displays its brand personality, customers who identify with that personality can develop a strong relationship with, and loyalty to, the brand and company.  

> **Article Sources**
>
> 1.  Hubspot. "[Why Customer Service is Important: 16 Data-Backed Facts to Know](https://blog.hubspot.com/service/importance-customer-service)."
>     
> 2.  Chief Executive. "[When It Comes To Purpose, Most Brands Fail. Here’s How Not To](https://chiefexecutive.net/when-it-comes-to-purpose-most-brands-fail-heres-how-not-to/)."