Brands are people too. Yes, you read that right. They have a personality – and as a marketer it’s crucial that you not only know this, but you seize the opportunities that come along with this.
So maybe you’re thinking – “ok, ok, yeah right.”
Well, let’s think about this. When you walk into your favorite grocery store, even if it’s a chain – what do you think? Is the store cold? Is it comforting to you, familiar? Do you like the colors? Maybe it carries your one special brand of chips you can’t live without? Do your checkers say the same thing to you as you leave?
Now go to another location of that store. Is your experience similar? Most times, yes. That’s a brand.
Remember when you only bought a razor from the drug store? Or got your shave at the barber? That’s a brand too. It’s familiar, you like it. It is your friend – almost. “It gets you.”
See, the thing is, every brand has something special about it. And, it’s the marketer’s job to determine what that is, and then share that personality to the world. Are you fun like Target? Affordable like Wal-Mart? The best baker like Publix?
People have thoughts about you as a person – people have thoughts about you as a brand. And you can build a personality with that. And you must build a personality in order to keep your clients, and gain new ones.
People choose brands because they like them – it’s a popularity contest (to a particular audience, that is). So – where does your personality take you? If your brand has 5 “traits” what are they?
That’s really what makes brands different today, and what gives them their personalities – it’s the people behind them – know thy brand, know thyself.