Branding As Personification: How Certain Brands Create A Personality of their Own

Think of your favorite brand, could be Starbucks, BMW, Apple, even Microsoft. Whatever that brand happens to be, why is it your favorite? There is most likely an emotional attachment to a specific product or service that the brand offers. On another level, there may be a subconscious trigger that takes place based on the personified characteristics of the company.

The Definition of Personification

Personification is an ontological metaphor in which a thing or abstraction is represented as a person.

1. A description of an inanimate object as being a living person or animal as in: “The sun shone brightly down on me as if she was shining for me alone”. In this example the sun is depicted as if having the possibility for intent and if referenced with the pronoun “she” rather than “it”.
2. The act of personifying.
3. A person or thing typifying a certain quality or idea; an embodiment or exemplification: “He’s invisible, a walking personification of the Negative” (Ralph Ellison).
4. An artistic representation of an abstract quality or idea as a person, for example the four cardinal virtues or nine Muses.

Personified Characteristics? What Are You Talking About?!

Stick with me on this one. As a brand is created, it becomes independent of its creators. Sort of like as kids grow up, they leave their parents house and start to live their life independently. The role of the parents is still to watch over their kids, but not as closely as they did before. The same is true in business, though not exactly the same.

It takes the vision of the entrepreneur to create a brand and it takes a loyal customer base to keep that brand alive. At first, the brand may be linked directly with the entrepreneur as though they are one. But as the brand grows, the entrepreneur steps back and lets the brand become dominant. I use the phrase personified characteristics to get the point across that as the brand grows, it becomes personified. When you hear a entrepreneur speak about the brand, they talk about it as though it is a separate entity. And it is. Or it should be.

Take Starbucks for example. The coffee is great, but you can get similar coffee almost anywhere. So what other aspects help to set it apart? The brand is known for personable baristas, a great atmosphere, and quick service, not to mention great coffee. Those characteristics create a personality that Starbucks drinkers have come to know and love. As the company has grown, it has become personified to the point where it is almost like a friend you are talking about. The company has become intertwined with our lives, just as friends are. Can you envision that? Is your company intertwined in its customers lives?

Another strong example is Apple. While Steve Jobs is best known for representing Apple, the Apple brand can run successfully independently of Steve Jobs. I think it is also safe to say that Apple has a unique personality unlike its competitors.

Envisioning Your Brand’s Personality

Think about this: as you envision the brand that you want to create, how you want it to come across and interact with its target market, you are, at the same time, creating a personality for that brand. Microsoft gives off the impression of a corporate, by the books, rigid type of personality whereas Apple tends to be youthful, fun and exciting. And, if you look at the market share, it makes sense that Apple is more of a personal computer while Microsoft dominates the business world.

In any case, it is absolutely critical to think about how you want your brand personified. And not personified just by you through your marketing, but by the media, clients, customers, anyone and everyone. Just as you yourself personally want to come across a certain way, so does the brand you are building. How do you want your brand personified?