For many B2B marketers, a lot of emphasis is placed on making the company logo a visual extension of the brand. Consistently applying your logo to all your marketing helps to build visual brand identification, but few marketers think about what characteristics of the brand exist beyond the logo. I’m talking about brand personality and personas.
Many marketers understand what brand personality is, but not many take the time to define a set of personas for the organization, or use them when developing marketing communications strategies. Well-known companies have brand personas that stem from inherent attributes of what their brands have been historically, and what they need to be in order to meet the expectations of their customers. For example, Harley Davidson’s persona is free, independent, rugged, American, laid-back and powerful. Jack In The Box’s persona is uncommon, sarcastic and funny.
Defining brand personas can have many practical uses for your marketing program. Here are few ways brand personas can help your next campaign:
- Personas give people a reason to like your brand and products.
- They help define your brand as hip, strong, young, cocky or any characteristic that will help you connect with target audiences.
- Brand personality contributes to the style and tone of your creative.
- Those character attributes can be parlayed into social media marketing by guiding your company’s ‘voice’ on twitter and other social media tools.
What personas exist for your brand? Want some fun tips on how to get started?
