To become your target audience’s top-of-mind choice, your brand needs to be the friend, supporter, advisor, or role model they’re looking for. Your brand needs to connect on a human level with genuine brand personality.
Consider these facts: 94% of purchasing decisions are made at a subconscious level, according to a Harvard study reported in Forbes. When consumers are consciously searching, 82% of them say they look for familiar brands first; 88% say brand authenticity is important to their decision; 46% are willing to pay a premium for trusted brands, according to an Adobe article. Consistent brand building can raise revenue by 23%, the same article reports.
This article will examine what brand personality is, and how you can identify the core characteristics of your brand. In a future article, we’ll look at brand identity, which includes all the ways brands express their personality through everything from business name, to logos, colors, style, taglines, brand messaging, and other elements.
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“[B]rand personality fulfills a psychological function. It allows consumers to either identify with [the brand] or project themselves into it. Brand personality is also the main source of tone and style of advertising,” according to Jean-Noel Kapferer, author of The New Strategic Brand Management, a widely used textbook.
In short, brand personality is a way of giving your brand specific character traits to distinguish it from the competition. Humanizing your brand builds trust, attachment, and loyalty.
Dimensions of Personality. A solid foundation for brand personality can be found in the work of Jennifer Aaker, professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and author of Dimensions of Brand Personality. Aaker’s influential paper introduced five “dimensions”:
Sincerity: Sincere brands are caring, trustworthy, ethical, and unpretentious. Examples include Patagonia, Tom’s of Maine, Motel 6, and Dove beauty products.
Excitement: Exciting brands favor adventure, energy, boldness, and high spirits. Examples include Red Bull, Nike, GoPro, and Porsche.
Competence: Competent brands are intelligent, steady, successful, and reliable. Examples include Microsoft, Volvo, Starbucks, and IBM.
Sophistication: Sophisticated brands exude glamor, exclusivity, charm, and refinement. Examples include Rolex, Chanel, Apple, and Gucci.
Ruggedness: Rugged brands are tough, durable, strong, and ready for the outdoors. Examples include Black & Decker, Harley Davidson, The North Face, and Jeep.
Examples of brand personality. Brand personalities can be a mix of characteristics, but one of them usually sets the tone. Below are three examples:
Apple. Apple can be considered sophisticated, exciting, and reliable. But if we consider its sleek product designs, exclusive retail experience, and premium price point, it’s hard to disagree that Apple is primarily a sophisticated brand. Its target audience may “aspire to” the brand as much as they “relate to” it.
Starbucks. Starbucks is another mix of qualities. On the one hand, it offers a design-forward retail experience and a refined array of products and accessories. On the other hand, Starbucks positions itself as a reliable place where customers find consistent products in a comfortable setting. Overall, Starbucks presents itself as a competent brand in the communities it serves.
Nike. Nike combines elements of excitement and ruggedness. It projects strength, toughness, and may feature outdoor activities. But from the “swoosh” logo to the “Just Do It” tagline, Nike projects energy, high spirits, and adventure. That makes Nike primarily an exciting brand.
Below are some general steps to consider when building brand personality.
Identify brand values. Brand personality should reflect your organization’s mission, values, and purpose. People are experts at sniffing out insincere or trend-following efforts. Your brand should be its own unique, individual self, not a copycat or a fake.
Finding values goes hand in hand with decoding your brand’s DNA. Brand DNA is at the heart of everything your brand is and does. From its founding principles and culture, to the products and services it offers, to its market presence, everything reflects brand DNA.
Identify your target audience. Next, think about your target audience. What kind of person aligns with your brand’s values, mission, and vision? Who will find your brand and think, “This is exactly what I’m looking for!”
Begin with market research to identify your target audience in several dimensions, including:
Demographics: Gather information about age, gender, income, education, marital status, children, and so on.
Psychological profile: Consider elements such as lifestyle, interests, attitudes, beliefs, and values.
Behavioral profile: Study shopping and purchasing habits, preferences and affinities, customer journeys, and pain points.
Larger organizations can afford extensive market research, but smaller ones have a natural resource in regular face-to-face interactions with clients and customers. “Trade fairs, customer service, and in-store interactions are great opportunities to learn about who your ideal customer is (and isn’t) and bake it into your marketing strategy,” according to Forbes. Customer surveys and social media interactions are other ways to learn about your target audience.
Identify brand personality traits. Now imagine your brand as a person who represents your core values in a way that appeals to your target audience.
Use the above Dimensions of Personality framework as a starting point. Think of a few adjectives that describe your brand. Is it exciting and outgoing? Is it solid and reliable? Caring and supportive? Stylish and sophisticated? What other qualities describe your brand?
When you’ve identified a few core traits, think about how that personality will act in the real world. What kind of relationship will it have with your target audience? How will it speak to them?
Now you have a template to guide brand positioning, design, and other marketing choices.
Brand personality humanizes your brand. It allows your target audience to identify with, relate to – and even aspire to – the qualities your brand projects.
In an upcoming article, we will look at how to use brand personality as the basis for brand identity and your brand’s presence in the marketplace.
If you need an initial consultation, please use the contact form on 10PlusBrand.com.
© Joanne Z. Tan, Oct. 2-3, 2025. All rights reserved.
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