Brands are one of the most important assets for companies since they serve as a differentiator. They have personalities like people, which makes them reach consumers emotionally. Therefore, in their efforts put in branding, firms began to give more importance to developing a brand personality. The personification of brands is a form of anthropomorphism. There are various ways to build an anthropomorphic brand. Brand personality models are based on human personality theories in psychology. These models help managers to build a strong and anthropomorphic brand. In this chapter, the authors make a comprehensive explanation regarding the brand personality with benefits, brand personality models, and anthropomorphism and explain the relationship between anthropomorphic brands and marketing communication by presenting some examples.
TopBrand Personality
To communicate with customers, all trade companies need a tangible entity. Companies have to display their uniqueness, particularly in the world of signs. Companies which can make successful branding have an advantage in the markets. Contrary to ordinary products, brands have the ability to be visible and meaningful for consumers. Moreover, they can emotionally connect to customers. Since companies want to reach consumers, branding has become one of the most important issues over the years. This is the reason most of the marketing efforts are made towards branding today.
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as “A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” However, brands are more than a name or sign for consumers and companies. They serve as risk reducers, a reminder of the personality of a company, and a legal protector for intellectual capital and value creator (Blythe, 2005, p. 153). Building a brand is not an easy job, and it takes a long time. In building a strong brand, there are some steps that brand manager can follow. Branding starts with the quality of product/service, follows with finding a brand name, developing a brand image, brand identity, and brand personality, and finalizes with creating brand equity with all these elements. Subsequently, all the other elements affect the brand personality, which makes it the most important part of branding efforts. Brand personality concept entails assessing the brands as they are considered to possess some human characteristics. Today, a brand alone is not enough to be a functional product/service. Thus, it has more duties such as reflecting the personality of the consumer. Consumers often look for their soulmates in the world of brands. That is, brands cannot live long if they do not have a personality in competitive markets.