The perfect match – Create a brand personality your customers love!

When we hear the term ‘brand’, we often think of the logo – the visual representation of a brand. But what about everything else that makes up that brand? Such as the value proposition, the tone of voice, the customer promise… the brand personality.

Every brand has a personality, whether unintended or planned. Either way, it’s a key element in communicating intangible benefits to consumers.

A brand’s personality impacts on preference and usage, as consumers develop an emotional bond with brands that resonate with them. Consumers often feel connected to brands that have similar traits to themselves, making their purchase decision feel like second nature. Appealing to customers’ emotions and cultivating a bond encourages loyalty, making customers more likely to advocate a brand.

For example, a teenager might prefer a shoe brand that exemplifies a cool image that is accessible (i.e. Converse). A professional woman, however, might prefer a shoe brand that symbolises sophistication and exclusivity (i.e. Louis Vuitton).

The intention behind a brand’s personality significantly increases the likelihood that the brand will resonate with the desired target market. It can, however, often be unclear as to where to start in doing so.

Where do I start?

There are numerous methods you can use to determine and develop your brand’s personality, however, the following resources and tips may help you get started

Discover your Brand Archetype

The book The Hero and The Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes, by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson, outlines a system consisting of two dimensions: self-focused vs. group-oriented, and order vs. change. This system helps brands determine their personality and create a model that can then guide other brand elements.

The Brand Personality Spectrum

The ‘Brand Personality Spectrum’ can be used to develop a quick snapshot of your brand’s personality. Simply place a dot along each horizontal line, wherever you feel your brand falls on that spectrum, or where you would like it to be. If more dots fall to the left, your brand is more contemporary, fast-moving and energetic. If there are more dots on the right, your brand is more traditional and planned in its approach with set processes in place. If you fall in the middle, then you must make a decision as to which side of the spectrum is most appropriate for your brand, as being in the middle leaves a brand forgettable.

Use Analogies

The ‘car analogy’ and the ‘celebrity analogy’ are both commonly used to identify brand characteristics. That said, many analogies would work. Essentially, this method is about considering if your brand was, for example, a car, what car would it be? Whichever analogy you use, this is about considering your brand as something more tangible with more easily identifiable personality traits. This will help you to then translate any similarities over to brand attributes.


Your brand’s personality has the power to influence purchase decisions, based on how well it resonates with your target market’s characteristics and values. Understanding your target market, their characteristics, motivators and demotivators, will mean you can create a brand personality that aligns.

Llew Jury

Founder, Executive Director

As a leading Australian digital entrepreneur, Llew drives Reload Media’s ongoing innovation and strategy on our journey to become Australia’s leading digital marketing agency. Llew’s leadership has seen Reload Media’s growth accelerate from just himself and co-director Craig Somerville in 2008 to over 70 staff today. This growth and Llew’s vision has seen Reload Media attract and retain some of the very best talent and clients, demonstrated by Reload Media’s national award for Australia’s Best Customer Service in 2014. Llew personally has won numerous awards including the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Young Business Person of the Year in 2012 and the Brisbane Business News Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Digital in 2014. Llew has widespread Australian and international business management and digital strategy experience in corporate, small business and government organisations. Llew also co- founded Queensland’s largest web design agency Alfresco, that he sold in 2006 to a consortium led by STW Group. As a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Llew understands what it takes to own and manage a high profile and leading digital agency. He shares this insight as a guest author for Fairfax Media’s Brisbane Times, writing in the weekly digital and technology section. Llew is also passionate about sharing his wealth of knowledge and helping other businesses succeed. To do this, he sits on the ADMA Queensland executive team and is a mentor at QUT, iLab and River City Labs. Llew also plays an active role in charity events, including the CEO Sleepout. Follow Llew at LlewJury.com and Twitter.com/reloada