As an Impressionable teenager, I idolized a certain Uncle Segun. He was a great source of influence as he had characters and held values that I found desirable, inspirational and aspirational: upwardly mobile and quite successful (in his twenties, he already had a master’s degree and was a sales manager for another international brand, Rank Xerox).

Characters and Personality

He was highly discerning. He had exquisite taste and demanded excellence in everything: what he wears and how he dresses; what, how and where he eats; His apartment, furniture and the finishing; his car… all hinted of style and class. He even succeeded in marrying who to me was one of the most beautiful women in the world at the time.

Everything that makes a good successful young man was inherent in him and exhibited with panache, and he loved to have some good times. He visited only exclusive bars; and he took Gulder lager beer and St. Moritz brand of cigarettes. At social gatherings and in his private moments, Uncle Segun would rather take nothing than take another brand of beer; and he would rather go without smoking, than smoke another brand of cigarette (which was quite significant given that he was a heavy smoker who burned an average one packet of St. Moritz a day). Such was the level of his brand loyalty.

Brands and The Individual

So strong was the similarity between my uncle and the personalities of those two world class brands that, in my assessment, the models and lifestyle depicted in the commercials for these brands, were fashioned after him and the way he lived.

Because of the desirable values, habits and characters inherent in this young man, I aspired to be like him, live like him and be seen as a man of class and style, when I grew up. And as soon as I could, I adopted the two great brands: Gulder lager beer and St. Moritz.

Central to my adoption and loyalty to those brands was the personality of that successful young man which the brands symbolize. Essentially, they epitomized characters and values that, to me, represented the very best of the good life. And whenever I take these brands, I connect with more than the products; I connect with a personality.

At a time most of my peers were smoking just to show they have come of age, burning up on cheap cigarettes and drinking anything that comes in a bottle and is labeled beer; for me it was a status thing; An image thing: It was all about class. And till today, long after I personally have quit smoking, I still accord those that take St. Moritz some mental respect and acknowledgment.

Brand Personality

The personality of your brand is perhaps the most attractive brand building ingredient that attracts prospects and keeps them loyal, simply because they either identify with the characters and values of your brand personality or they find them aspirational.

Everyone has a mental picture of self and how he/she wants to be seen by others; and we certainly like those personalities that are similar to us or to those we admire. As consumers, it is an indubitable fact that we favor those brands that fit in with our self-concept or assessment and the images of ourselves we aspire to or dream of, especially so, since the brands we associate with go a long way in defining and authenticating who we are.

Therefore, to succeed in the marketplace, it is important for a brand to succeed with the personality issues of the target market. Brand managers must develop effective strategies that will create brands with personality traits similar to those of the target market segment. The closer the brand personality is to the consumer personality, the greater the sense of affinity, incidence of patronage and depth of loyalty.

Ultimately, characteristics, habits, and values/beliefs define the human personalities; likewise for brands. The personality of a brand should be an embodiment and reflection of those traits that represent the essence of that brand… such as honesty, youthfulness, empathy, sophistication. And these should match the traits that define the consumer, his ideals, and his aspirations.

Now imagine your brand as a person, or imagine a person as your brand:

• Who do you see? What manner of a person is he or she?
• Is the person Male, Female, Or Neither?
• Is the male Masculine, Chauvinistic, or Egalitarian?
• Is the female Feminine, Liberalist, Independent or Tom-Boyish?
• Is the person Young, Old, Middle-Aged, or Ageless?
• Is the person Blue-Collar, White-Collar, or Upscale?
• Is the person Indigenous, Continental, or Global?
• Is the person Conservative, Liberal, or Dynamic?
• Is the person Humble, Modest or Arrogant?
• Is the person Good Looking, Attractive, Romantic, Or Bland?
• Is the person Honest, Trustworthy, or Dishonest?
• Is the person Caring, Helpful, or Self-Centered?

Values and Attributes

We can go on and on, but one easy way to integrate an enduring likable personality into your brand is to approach the subject from the target market perspective, and address the following questions:

• What kind of people is your brand targeted at?
• What are their characteristics and habits?
• What are their prejudices, motivations, and aspirations?
• What and how high are their expectations?
• What parameters and metric standards define quality to them?
• Who are their heroes and role-models?
• What are their cultural values and icons?

Personality traits founded on values, beliefs and attributes go a long way in determining and sustaining the success or failure of brands by providing the emotional platform for brand association, adoption, endearment and ultimately, brand loyalty.

And one sure route to enduring brand equity out of loyalty lies in successfully determining, choosing, and embodying appropriate personality values and characteristics, while rightly communicating such through all relevant platforms (product design, packaging, values, brand communications, and other brand associations) creatively and consistently over time.

This is crucial because it is the personality of a brand that can appeal to, and capture the imagination of the consumer’s mind. Consumers think of brand experiences and make judgments in behavioral terms, such as a bank being dynamic and innovative; An insurance firm being dishonest; A restaurant being upscale and continental; A telecoms firm being indigenous and friendly; A perfume being youthful and romantic …among others.

But how would your customers perceive your brands and make the right judgments given the myriad of brand experiences they have on daily basis? Does your brand even have a personality? Or is it a case of ‘zero’ personality? Is your brand personality clearly discernible, ill-defined, or unattractive?

According to Mike Moser (United We Brand), your job is to have four or five traits that go together naturally. Look for traits that will reflect and is compatible with your core brand values and communicate those values to others.

Target Market Characteristics

However, you can do better than this: beyond choosing traits that exemplify your core brand values and communicating such to others, you need to make those core values mirror the values of members of your target market as well as their expectations.

Therefore, from early in the brand development stage, you need to choose and inculcate those values that would be a perfect harmonization of both your own ideals and those of your prospects. But start from the market side and adopt only those values that you believe in and can exhibit proficiently through your brand.

Star Lager and Shine Shine Bobo

Thus, the key to getting it right in any marketplace is to profoundly and professionally understand your terrain. For example, it is not far from the truth to assert that Nigerians love to keep up and show off. We love titles and crave being seen as happening guys. Hence, it is little wonder that star lager beer has achieved monumental success with its ‘shine shine bobo’ personality.

This is a case of appropriate personalities meeting the perception mentality on a fertile footing.

Brand Personalities as Differentiators

Going further into specifics and examining some leading brands in various categories on the home front, it would be instructive to study their successes and juxtapose their perceived brand personalities with a view to determining how such personalities contribute to the equity they enjoy from inception to the present moment.

Starting from the broadcast industry, 96.9 Cool fm strikes you as a young, friendly, daring, cheerful and humorous personality. On the inside, these attributes are best personified by their leading radio personality Dan Foster and others such as Freeze and Kathy. And on the outside, it is no accident that a large majority of their listeners share these attributes or like those who exhibit such. Especially the characteristic of youth and humor, which is a sure ingredient in getting your brand liked.

Prior to its inception, radio broadcasting had been largely impersonal, rigid and uninteresting. But this cosmopolitan brand achieved tremendous success by coming into the industry and breaking the ice with an interactive brand of radio journalism that discerning listeners were quick to accept as their friendly and cheerful companion on the airwaves. The strong and enduring bond between Cool fm and its listeners is no farther from the emotional connection the latter see in the personality of this broadcast medium.

The Silverbird group is another ample study in distinct and attractive personality. It is not difficult to picture an ageless, caring and fun loving family man who is committed to high value entertainment when thinking of any of Silverbird TV, Silverbird Rhythm 93.7 Fm or the Silverbird Cinemas.

Channels TV is a highly efficient and informed professional with utmost integrity. While the exuberant and athletic personality of Brila fm is equally noteworthy. These brands are easily the leading brands in their segments and their successes are not unconnected to the affinity certain members of the public feel for the personalities of these media houses.

Recently, a senior colleague experienced the brand IBTC Chartered Bank Plc, he was so impressed such that he couldn’t stop describing the pleasant experience he had,; and he did so using personality terms: how professional, efficient and courteous the bank is. For me, I have always known and seen IBTC as a cultured attractive young man with profound efficiency, chivalry and understated elegance; if this brand were truly a young man, many a lady would find it difficult to resist him.

The same can be said of GTBank, another attractive, innovative, elegant and efficient young professional. The successes of these financial institutions have quite a lot to do with the enormous appeals of their brand personalities, and these attributes are results of carefully crafted and professionally executed strategies.

To buttress this point is to juxtapose the personalities of these 21st century banks such as GTBank, Zenith Bank, IBTC etc to the personalities of the leading financial brands: First Bank Nigeria Plc, Union Bank Nigeria Plc, and the former UBA (pre-consolidation), before the advent of our new generation banks. According to 7Up, the difference is clear!  

Back to the Gulder lager beer example I cited earlier, in the 80s, the Gulder position was personality driven; it is dubitable that of all the existing lager brands at that time, none was specifically positioned for the elegant, successful young professional with high taste.

The importance of understanding and subsequently tapping into the values and cultural idiosyncrasies of your target market is also exemplified by the KIA motor brand’s success in the American market. Having many world class motor brands to compete against, it is reported that KIA motors chose to adopt and build its personality around the reality of the “successful Korean immigrant” to endear it to, and penetrate the highly competitive and seemingly saturated American auto market.

This strategy was adopted with a clear understanding of the values and pride the American society attach to the freedom and opportunities to succeed that abounds for all and sundry regardless of origin or background. Therefore KIA’s brand attributes were built around the values of the five Hs viz Humility, Honesty, Humanity, Hardwork and Humor (from Mike Moser’s United We Brand), ideals that the Korean promoters of KIA found quite easy to live with and deliver on at all times.

Birds of Same Feather

At a discerning level, especially for brands playing in niche markets, a brand of choice is a matter of status, taste and lifestyle. It goes deeper than availability and is not a question of affordability. It is simply a case of affinity, i.e. having something in common with your consumers or their aspirations.

In summation, the imperative is for you to create the appropriate personality traits for your brand that is both believable and connects with people, using your target market attributes as templates, and consumers will go the extra mile to associate with it and keep the relationship going.