The following is a summary of Chapter 6 of the book “Integrated Branding” by F. Joseph LePla and Lynn M. Parker. Buy the book.

Beyond the brand principles are other core brand drivers, namely personality and associations.  Brand personality is an emotional pact with your consumers.  It compliments and reinforces the principle, which acts as a rational agreement.  The importance of brand personality is grounded in the concept that we all view products and companies as if they were other people.  We imbue them with human attributes and personality.  Therefore, it is crucial that you give some thought to what kind of person your brand is behaving like.  Saturn Corporation is a good example of one company that uses brand personality as a primary brand driver.

The integrated branding model dictates that your brand acts and behaves in a predictable manner, or according to a routine or pattern.  Multiple consumers who have had multiple interactions with your brand will generally tell the same story about their experience.

Have you ever hung up the phone after a negative customer experience and said something like “I wish they would get their act together.”  This is the same manner of comment you would make about a friend whose actions you were displeased with.

The personality of your brand influences how your customers feel following an experience or interaction with you.  If your brand is about respect, it can make customers feel important.  If it is about service, it can make them feel fulfilled.

The personality aspect of a brand admits that there are strong emotional components to the decisions that we make.  If you don’t think your brand is interesting enough to have a personality, then go and ask your sales department how they sell.  You may be surprised at their response.

How to reveal a brand personality

Ask employees and customers indirect, metaphorical questions.  Most people won’t understand a question such as “what is your brand’s personality?” because most people relate to brand personality on a subconscious level.

Instead, ask:

• What is the company’s business style?
• If the company died tomorrow, what would be written on its grave marker?
• If the company were a person at a party, how would it act?

As humans, we like consistent personalities.  Discovering and consciously implementing your brand’s personality can increase customer loyalty and produce very positive experiences.

Just like humans, brands can have multiple personalities.  This can be a positive thing for new and startup brands, but as a general rule, the stronger a brand is, the more counterproductive it is to have more than one personality.

Creating an effective personality

When creating a brand personality, consider the following criteria:

• Does the personality reflect the brand?
• Is the personality one that consumers will like?
• Does it meet consumers’ need for self-expression?
• Is the personality consistent with consumer perception of the brand?
• Does the personality help define the spirit with which you will approach future actions?

Using associations to unlock meaning

Associations are the final brand driver.  They are the meaning you associate with the brand when you see its name or logo or some other elements of its communications.  Anything that the brand has done to make an impression on you that you link to the brand is an association.

In short, associations are a mental shortcut to the brand promise.  In many cases, these associations occur organically without company cultivation.  This is always a positive sign.  If, however, the associations are negative, you should stop doing whatever it is that caused them immediately.

Created associations

Opposite organic associations are created associations, or those that your company has worked hard to cultivate.  Created associations tend to go a little deeper than organic ones, since consumers naturally gravitate towards the obvious (features and price) when left to their own devices.

Created associations can be colors, tunes, smells, visions, ingredients, ideas, emblems, etc.  They are a way for the company to establish a deep and lasting shortcut to their product in the mind of the consumer.  A good example is the Nike swoosh, or the contoured Coca-Cola bottle.  Another example is the manner in which the yellow & green mesh cap calls to mind the John Deere brand.  Have you ever smelled something that took you back to a childhood experience?  That, too, is an association.  ScentAir makes a living establishing smell-oriented brand associations.

All brands can benefit from associations.  Most experts estimate that it takes three to five years to build an association to the point where the average consumer can mentally retrieve the memory and connect it to your brand without any outside help.

Criteria for value-building associations

Even small companies should work hard to create associations.  It’s even ok if they piggy-back on other marketing materials.  When you develop your associations, use the following criteria to stay on track:

• Associations must be in-your-face, like Ronald McDonald, the Budweiser Clydesdales, the Kool-Aid pitcher, or the Keebler Elves.
• Associations must tie back to the brand principle or personality, like Nipper does to the RCA principle of “sound fidelity.”
• Associations must tie back to the company or product, which is why the pink rabbit was clearly named and labeled “The Energizer Bunny.”
• Associations must be used for the life of the brand, as are the Jolly Green Giant, or the Marlboro Man…so be sure you choose your associations wisely.

In summary, brand drivers (principles, personality, associations) create an easy-to-follow structure for leveraging and focusing  employee and customer potential.  The result?  Consumers share a high degree of affinity with your brand, based on sustainable points of difference and emotional attachment.  Drivers generate category-leading loyalty and consistent price premiums, even in a mature market.