Brand Personality

The definition of Brand personality can be classified as Emotion- centered Human – centered Others

Emotion centered definitions contend that brand personality is the emotional component of a brand.

These definitions see brand personality as the emotional link between the consumer and the brand.

If the brand were to become an emotion , what would it be

Brand Personality

Maggi Hot and Sweet Chilli Sauce

Humour

Kama Sutra condom Sensuality

Sunrise Compassion

Red and White Valour

Exide Peace

Onida Envy, irritation

Brand Adjective

Tata Tea Vivacious , fresh

VIP luggage Longlasting, family member

Palmolive soap caring

Blue Dart Relaible

Mountain Dew fun

Another way of using projective techniques is to identify the brand

with an adjective . The question would be what adjectives describe the brand

Human Centered Definitions : “What happens when this brand becomes a human being. Thus both emotion centered definitions and human

centered definitions emphasise the intangible aspect of the concept of brand personality

Definition: The set of human characteristics associated

with a given brand. Thus it includes such characteristics as gender, age, socioeconomic class as well as such classic human personality traits as warmth, concern and sentimentality.

e.g—Virginia Slims tends to be feminine in comparison to the masculine Marlboro.

Apple is considered young while IBM tends to be seen as older( in part because it has been around longer)

Brand personality like human personality is both distinctive and enduring . Coke is considered authentic and real whereas Pepsi is considered young, spirited and exciting.

Brand personality can thus have demographic characteristics like Feminine (Sunsilk), Aramusk (masculine) , old ( Mysore Sandal) and young (Liril)

Also could have psychographic characteristics like upper class (Van Huesen) v/s blue collar ( Nirma)

And sophisticated (Honda city) v/s rugged (Tata Sumo)

Personality of Harley Davidson (HD) bikes

There are 3 core values of HD bikes 1)       The dominant value is personal

freedom, which includes freedom from confinement (confined in a car or a t home) and freedom from mainstream values and social structures.

The Harley Davidson eagle logo is one symbol of this freedom.

2)       Second value is patriotism and American heritage.

3)       Then third value is being macho , inspired in part by the outlaw bikers in The wild ones , the famed Marlon Brando movie in 1950s.Expressions of manliness are like wearing T-SHIRTS –“Real Men wear Black.

HD bikes are the biggest, heaviest, loudest and thus the most macho motorcycles in the world. There is an abundance of black leather, heavy boots, chrome, and other signals of maleness at Harley Rallies.

The Harley motto—“Live to ride, ride to live” appeals also to non macho potential buyers.

The owners of Japanese bikes focuses on functional benefits , whereas the Harley-Davidson owner is much more concerned with emotion and self-expressive benefits.

Brand Personality Scale— Jennifer Aaker A study was done among 1000 U.S

respondents, 60 well known brands and 114 personality traits.

Five personality factors emerged the most significant. These 5 explain the differences between the brands.

1)       Sincerity (Campbell’s, Kodak, Hallmark) Down-to-earth : family oriented, small town,

conventional,blue-collar, all-American Honest : Sincere, real, ethical, thoughtful, caring Wholesome : original, genuine, ageless, classic , old-

fashioned Cheerful : sentimental, friendly, warm, happy

2)   excitement (Porsche, Absolut, Benetton)

Daring : trendy, exciting, off-beat,, flashy, provocative Spirited: cool, young, lively, outgoing, adventurous Imaginative: unique, humorous, surprising,

artistic , fun Up-to-date: independent, contemporary,

innovative, aggressive

3)    Competence: (Amex, CNN, IBM) Reliable: hardworking, secure, efficient, trustworthy,

careful Intelligent: technical, corporate, serious Successful : leader, confident, influential

4)      Sophistication (Lexus, Mercedes, Revlon) Upper class: glamorous, good-looking, sophisticated Charming: feminine, smooth, sexy, gentle

5) Ruggedness (Levi’s, Marlboro, Nike) Outdoor: masculine, western, active, athletic Tough: rugged, strong, no-nonsense

Other definitions of Personality

Brand Anatomy As per David Arnold essence is synonymous with

brand Personality Brand Essence: is the basic idea behind the brand. When a brand is configured , it is important to get its

essence first. This essence translates into benefits. These benefits should be converted to specific

attributes. Ultimately these benefits and attributes form brand

anatomy as per David Arnold.

E.g The essence of close-up is youth.

This essence translates into benefits like joy, fun, energy and modernity.

These benefits get reflected in the attributes of the product.

The bright packaging of Close-up signals modernity and bright colour and gel signal youth.

The endorsement of close-up Antakshari is the celebration, joy and energy dimension of the brand.

Chris Mcrae has divided brand personalities into six types

1) Ritualistic brands 2) Symbol Brands 3) Heritage brands 4) Exclusive brands 5) Belonging Brands 6) legendary brands

1) Ritualistic brands: brands associated with particular occasions: for e.g Crackers are associated with Diwali and Archies greeting cards with birthdays and anniversary.

Also Britannia Marie is a tea time brand associated with the ritual of the consumption.

Titan is for celebration/gift

2) Symbol Brand : The logo or the name of the brand is more important than what it contains.

Chivas Regal is strongly identified with the eagle shaped container.

Onida is strongly identified with the devil

3) Heritage Brands: These are the brands that have pioneer advantage.

Philips has a strong position in the audio system market because of its reputation.

Dabur has a strong reputation in ayurveda

4) Exclusive Brands:These are termed Äloof”or “Snobbish “brands.

BMW 650 cc bikes, Maybach /Rolls Royce are meant for an exclusive clientile in India. Not everyone can buy them.

5) Belonging Brands: Human Beings are constantly in need of being socially accepted. Brands which make the consumer a part of a larger family are belonging brands.

A Levi Strauss jean puts a youth at par with youth in the rest of the world.

A Ray-Ban sunglasses means a lot to the user.

6) Legendary Brands: Brands which have a great deal

of history behind them and have achieved demi-god status are legendary brands. Coke, Marlboro, Lifebuoy, Lux.

From the corporate brands- TATA and Godrej.

Stephen King’s views “How do people choose friends? There are

some that come and go. But there are some that stay for a lifetime. In addition to their skills and characteristics they choose them because they like them as people. The total person is chosen as a friend and not on individual virtues. Same is true of brands. Thus a new brand should be conceived as the totality of functional and non-functional values from the very beginning.

Brand Image : is how the brand is perceived by the consumer.Thus brand personality is the cause while brand image is the effect.

Brand Name Brand Personality

Brand Image

Lifebuoy soap Price Value for money

Lifebuoy soap Carbolic content

hardworking

Little hearts Heart shaped Romantic

Puffed biscuit novelty

Distinct packing

attractive

Brand Image

Represents the essence of all the impressions or imprints about the brand that have been made in the consumer’s mind.

It includes impressions about its physical features and

performances, impressions about the functional benefits from using

it, impressions about the kind of people who use it, the emotions and associations aroused by it, the imagery and symbolic meanings it evokes in the

consumer’s mind.

The brand image is indeed the totality of the brand in the perception of the consumer

It embraces the brand’s physical and functional aspects and also its symbolic meanings.

The brand personality dwells mainly in symbolic aspects.