BRAND BUILDING: DOES YOUR BRAND HAVE CHARACTER?

Whether it’s a franchise or your own company, your brand’s character is essential to an effective strategy.

“That’s what I do. I drink, and I know things.”Tyrion Lannister. Game of Thrones.

“To Infinity and beyond!”Buzz Lightyear. Toy Story.

“Books! And cleverness! There are more important things – friendship and bravery.”Hermione Granger. Harry Potter and the Philosophers’ Stone.

“I’m walking here! I’m walking here!”Ratso Rizzo. Midnight Cowboy.

“There’s no place like home.”Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz.

You probably remember most of these phrases vividly. That is because these lines fit the moment, context, and most importantly, the character who said them.

What can entertainment teach to marketing? I’d say almost everything, but that’s another discussion. It talks about the importance of characters. Every film, series, theatre play takes place in a certain time and culture, but mostly IN the characters. That is what makes the pieces universal beyond their own context. It is characters who we relate to. And each of them has a very precise perspective, style, vocabulary, and behavior. 

It happens the same when it comes to brands. The difference between a brand and a product is that the first has a whole world of its’ own, while the second is, well… it is what it is. Which is not necessarily bad, but certainly less effective. 

So let’s check the traits that affect your brand’s character.

UNIVERSALITY. 

Characters and brands are anchored in archetypes. Archetypes are images that are universally present. They were used by psychologist Carl Jung, and are described in the multicultural works of Joseph Campbell. They help build a universal perspective and way of relating to the world. These archetypes determine whether your brand’s character will relate with the audience by taking care of the others, inspiring to overcome adversity, or have fun. In the case of brands, this requires understanding what the audience needs from you, why they do, and how they expect to get it. 

COHERENCE. 

What a character says, must be aligned with who that character is. Now, replace “character” with “brand”. See? When talking about branding and advertising it is helpful to avoid the “funny idea that has nothing to do with the brand”. Of course, Hermione Granger could say “That’s what I do. I drink and I know things”, while she sips a glass of butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks. But it wouldn’t make sense to her character. 

This usually happens when brands get surprised by last-minute news. They rush to make statements just to catch the opportunity. And they miss. 

This needs to be taken into account, as it affects the brand’s credibility. 

Characters don’t jump from one POV to another. They are sensitive to what happens around, and react. But there is a way and process of doing that. If the response you give is coherent with your brand’s character, it will prove sincere with your audience. Otherwise, it will just feel fake.

VOICE, STYLE, TONE. 

Another thing you will need to determine is the brand’s voice, style, and tone. They are related to the world perspective you have, the way of speaking according to industry in which it participates and the attitude needed according to the context. 

That is why Dorothy says: “My goodness! What a fuss you’re making!” Instead of “I’m walking here! I’m walking here!” while she bangs a car or a whatever-magic-vehicle that she comes across the yellow brick road. 

All these points will be helpful when putting them together into the next concept: 

STRATEGY.

When designing a strategy, your brand’s character organizes all the aspects of its’ communication in a complementary way. One goal, multiple paths. Especially when your communication is going through many different channels. Whatever you speak of in your site, social media, billboards, or TV ads, everything needs to be aligned.  That is what makes the brand feel present in different contexts of peoples’ lives. Otherwise, it is just sharing your brand’s name on different social media accounts. And a huge waste of money. 

MEMORABILITY. 

We all know brands that have a great phrase, a slogan, that is always present. This is something you want to achieve at some point in your brand-building process. To have a quote so engraved in people’s lives, that it makes them think of you. Oh, the wonderful miracle of being popular!

Truth is, it is not an easy task. It requires patience and being very aware of what your brand character is. Because it should make sense all along with your communication. Not only when marketing to customers but also to your company’s culture. That is why it is so important to work on every aspect of your brand character. 

Even before launching it. And if your brand is already out there, you need to organize it so you stop wasting money on ineffective ad investment. 

As you see, there are lots of things that come with brand building. There are very diverse approaches, many things to be considered, making decisions, and a great deal of self-awareness. That is when the most important character comes into play: YOURS. 

If it is to strengthen your brand’s character, or any step in your strategic storytelling and branding, we are here to help you. Just get in touch with The Brand Building Shop, an agency born in North Carolina, helping brands across the globe.

And never forget: You have great stories to tell.