To stand out in the “product jungle” today, you have to offer consumers more than just quality and performance. Behind every brand there is therefore more than just a product that promises a pure benefit. The brand personality as a sub-area of the brand identity gives the brand a face and thus enables consumers to identify with the brand and its character traits. What is the composition of the brand personality and what do you have to keep in mind when working with influencers in order to convey the brand personality to consumers in an authentic and credible way?
Contents
- Definition of the term Brand
- Definition of brand personality
- What must be considered for a good Brand Influencer Fit
1. Definition of the term Brand
A brand serves as an identifier to distinguish the company from its competitors and to be recognized by potential customers. A brand is composed of the brand identity and the brand image.
The brand identity conveys to the customer what the brand stands for, what it means and what purpose it serves. Since it is created by the company, it is considered the brand’s self-image. In contrast, the brand image is the external image of the brand. This is the image of the brand as perceived by the consumer. It is therefore the image of a brand in the minds of consumers. This is formed on the basis of the subjectively perceived benefits and the personality of the brand. In a comparison, the brand identity is also seen as the target image and the brand image as the actual image. Ideally, the target image should control the actual image.
2. Definition of brand personality
The concept of brand personality is understood as a set of human character traits associated with the brand. According to the theory of animism, people endow objects with human characteristics. This can also be derived to the handling of brands and products and simplifies the handling of the brand.
The brand is understood by many scientists and professors as a living being, because brands also have a face and can change their clothes without losing trust. Brand personality is a subset of brand identity and brand image and represents the associations with human personality traits that can be associated with a brand. It gives the brand its character. The brand personality offers the consumer an additional benefit in addition to the purely functional benefit of the brand. This additional benefit arises from the fact that consumers associate human personality traits with the brand. A distinction is made between direct and indirect drivers of this brand personality. Direct drivers are, for example, employees or brand ambassadors/influencers. Indirect drivers are, for example, the product design and the brand name.
Brand personality can be used to create a differentiated brand identity. In today’s consumer goods market, this possibility of differentiation has become increasingly important, as products differ less and less in their product benefits. It is therefore all the more important to create an additional benefit with the help of an authentic brand personality. The brand personality also helps a brand to create an additional attention magnet in the sea of information in which the consumer finds himself.
In order to be able to convey the brand message and its personality to consumers, it is essential that a consistent communication of the brand personality is implemented so that a clear image of this personality is created in the minds of consumers. Brand communication by means of influencer marketing can be used here as a profitable measure. However, a number of things should be taken into account.
3. What must be considered for a good Brand Influencer Fit?
Influencer selection
In order for an influencer to be able to convey the brand personality authentically and credibly, care must be taken when selecting an influencer to ensure that the character traits attributed to the influencer also match those of the brand. The core values of the brand, for which it stands in public, should also be attributable to the influencer. In addition, the influencer should have relevant points of contact with the brand.
Brand Ambassador
An influencer who meets these criteria can act as a brand ambassador for the brand to increase sales and promote brand awareness. A Brand Ambassandor is known as a positive representative, opinion leader or influential person in a community. They have a comprehensive understanding of the brand’s vision and functions. In addition, they are also the ones who best understand the personality and mood of a brand and thus can best embody the Brand Personality.
Clear communication from the start.
To ensure that an influencer is able to convey the values and messages of the brand personality correctly, the brand’s demands towards the influencer should be clearly communicated from the beginning of the cooperation. It is also important to build up a relationship with the influencer, because the better a company knows its influencer, the more it can respond to the person and convey the brand’s values and message. In addition, close contact with the influencer also reduces the risk of implementation errors, as people trust each other.
Briefing
A good briefing is of enormous importance for a good collaboration in terms of a good representation of the brand personality. In this, everything important should be recorded and agreed upon: Message, framework conditions, imagery, etc. All points should be discussed together in order to give the brand a credible and authentic face through the influencer.