STARTUP BRANDING: START WITH PERSONALITY

Brands are a lot like people. As people, our personality and behavior transmit who we are to the world. For example, if you’re a friendly or generous person, you probably open the door for people, and say good morning.

Or think about a person we’re all familiar with, the comedian Amy Schumer. We all know she is funny and smart. But not because she tells us she is, but because that’s how she behaves.

The same is true for brands.

Except with brands we feel their personality through the content they create. Their advertising, social media, packaging, in-store experience, website, etc.

An example, Oreos:

Oreos, an iconic brand for a century, their personality is optimistic, nostalgic, wide-eyed and pure of heart. These traits come through in everything they create.

The same is true for your brand.

If you haven’t identified your brand’s personality, here’s a quick exercise to get you thinking about it. Don’t get caught up on the words you choose. Focus on the meaning behind them. Ideally you want to identify 3–4 personality traits that are authentic to you and ensure that those personalities are clear and consistent across all the content you create.

Here’s 5 steps to identifying your brand’s personality.

HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR BRAND’S PERSONALITY

1. Gather brands that feel like you: are you curious like Google? Rebellious like Virgin? Friendly like Dunkin’ Donuts?
2. Confirm the 3–4 personality traits that feel right for your brand.
3. Identify what your personality would look like — write some phrases inspired by other brands.
4. Identify what your personality would sound like — write some phrases inspired by other brands.
5. Evaluate your current brand and marketing content: your name, logo, social campaigns.. do you think it’s delivering on your personality? If your content doesn’t reflect your brand’s personality — it’s time to update/refresh your content.

Ready to take the plunge with Branding? At DriveThru Branding, we dive deep into who your company is and how it behaves to create a custom brand guide —in as little as two weeks, without breaking the bank. Learn more here.