can serve as the basic template for creating a suitable brand personality. The
personality traits are a more nuanced description of the behavioural character
traits that must be built into the brand personality and expressed through all the
different sources and modes of communication that the brand uses to express
personality. The brand personality dimensions are long-term and a strategic tool.
The brand personality statement is more short-term and contains the more
nuanced personality traits that can be altered over time and can serve as a guide
for how the brand should appear and behave more specifically. An example of
how a brand personality can be constructed using the brand personality
framework (figure 7.11).
Consumer perceptions of a brand personality are formed and influenced by all
the direct and indirect contacts the consumer has with the brand or other users of
the brand, also named the sources of brand personality. The direct sources of
brand personality are: the set of human characteristics associated with the
typical user of the brand, the employees of the company producing the brand;
the CEO, or endorsers of the brand also affect how the consumers ultimately will
perceive the brand personality. In that way, personality traits of the people asso-
ciated with that brand are transferred directly and unfiltered to the brand person-
ality itself. Personality can also be transferred indirectly to the brand through the
product-related attributes and product category associations, but also brand
communication like the brand name, logo, style, price and distribution channel
affect how the brand personality will be perceived by consumers.
Table 7.1Creating brand personality in accordance with the consumer self construct
Step 1 – Uncover internal potential Uncover internally what brand personality is
viable for the company to create. The brand
personality must be authentic, meaning that the
personality must be in line with what the company
is able to deliver and live up to
Step 2 – Uncover the social and Uncover if the brand personality primarily helps
individual level of consumer self consumers express the individual or social self
Step 3 – Elaborate the Uncover if the brand is used to express the
understanding of how the brand individual self, explore if it is the actual, ideal or
personality interacts with desired self the brand appeals to
consumer self
Step 4 – Create and alter the brand Once the right brand personality appealing to the
personality wanted group and type of consumer self has been
created the brand must be continuously
monitored. Brand personalities evolve and can be
altered or diminished with the personality profiles
of stereotypical consumers. This cyclical process
of how the brand evolves in interaction with the
personality of different consumer target groups
must be closely monitored and adjusted to make
the best of the brand
140 Seven brand approaches