What is the first thing that you notice about someone when you meet them? Eyes? Smile? Clothing? Perhaps. But more often than not, the first impression you get from someone will come from their personality. First impressions are important. When meeting someone for the very first time, the characteristic that will resonate the most with you is how they act and present themselves. The same is true for marketing your business and the brand that you use. Personality isn’t just for people, but for businesses as well. It is the first thing a person notices when they experience your brand. So what kind of first impression are you giving? Never really thought about it? Well, you probably should.
A brand owns up to its personality when human characteristics are associated with that particular brand’s name. Customers are more likely to gravitate toward a brand they share a similar personality with. Therefore, it is extremely beneficial to determine your brand’s personality and then use it to exhibit common ground with potential customers by forming a connection.
There are five main types of personalities: excitement, sincerity, ruggedness, competence, and sophistication. These personalities are spread across the board in companies and businesses. However, you may be wondering how a brand is able to fully demonstrate its personality through marketing. Below are a few examples:
- Coors Light – Excitement: With this beer, they use the phrase, “Tap the Rockies”, that plays on the fact that beer comes fresh and cool from a tap just like the cool snow on the mountains of Colorado. When you think of Coors, you imagine a frosty bottle or glass with nice cold beer as you stand on the slopes, with your friends in the Rockies.
- Cheerios – Sincerity: One thing Cheerios promotes is their heart healthy option of eating. When they do their commercials, they gear them toward families and their breakfast. You see a son or daughter pouring the cereal for their father because they want their heart to be healthy. By doing so, you receive the sympathy of the target audience and it makes them want to purchase the cereal in order to be healthier not only for themselves but for their family.
- The North Face – Ruggedness: When you think of The North Face clothing company, you think of tackling the harsh climates of snow and rain. You see yourself climbing mountains and riding raging rivers. That is how they market their brand. It is for adventures, risk takers and the rugged. The ones who love the outdoors and take advantage of every situation. Whenever someone wants to go hiking or skiing and they need a resilient coat, The North Face is one of the first, if not the first, they think of. Branding.
- General Electric – Competence: When it comes to the subject of competence and intelligence, one of the first companies most people think of is GE. The commercials they put out, present an image of regular people who have done extraordinary things. It depicts people anywhere from children to the elderly who are accomplishing great things and succeeding at incredible feats. They use this tactic to prove that anything is possible and that the sky is the limit. When you think quality work, you will now think of GE because of these commercials.
- Mercedes/Cadillac/BMW – Sophistication: Luxury automobile commercials are professionals at showing the sophistication of their products. They introduce the cars they manufacture, in such a way that you want to buy 5 of them at once. From the exterior to the interior, to the places they drive, to the houses they park in front of, everything is specifically geared toward the luxurious. They are sleek, with all the bells and whistles, driving straight into your heart and mind. Their brand is top of the line, along with their product.
After reading all of these examples, have you thought about what your brand is? What do you want to present to your customers? What do you want your first impression to be? These are the questions you must ask yourself when building the brand for your business.