Brand Image: What It Is & Why It Matters

Humans have personalities, but so do brands. Think about the Duolingo Owl, McDonald’s clown, or even M&Ms, they all have a clear distinction to each of them, or better said, they each have a distinct brand personality. Duolingo’s owl, for example, is known to be charismatic, ‘loud’, and even slightly chaotic, these personifications are what shape a brand’s tone and communication. But why does brand personality matter? 

It has been proven that brands that have ‘interactive’ or ‘dynamic’ personalities build a stronger emotional connection with their customers. Think of how Duolingo is known for their ‘guilt-tripping’ notification reminders, or hilariously viral social media posts. These are things that help the app connect on a deeper level with its audience. When users see ads, they aren’t just reminded of the app but get motivated to use it. Also, its game style set up makes learning a language a fun challenge instead of a chore or task. 

There are four criteria that you should want to make sure your brand covers: 

• Honesty- the brand must align their actions with the reality of the real experience delivered. Should avoid exaggerations or misleading statements. 

• Uniqueness- the brand personality must accentuate their distinctive qualities so they can stand apart from the crowd and reach their target audience. 

• Relevance- for brands to connect with their target audience they must be aligned with the consumers values, interests, and lifestyles. 

• Positioning link- the above (honesty, uniqueness, and relevance) must strengthen the brand’s market position. The traits must work strategically together to constantly deliver the brand identity across platforms and channels. 

Going back to Duolingo, the brand's owl mascot (visual representation of the brand image), has the same personality across channels and platforms. Earlier this year, the dramatically chaotic owl even made the news by ‘faking its own death’ throwing the company on a viral spiral with millions wondering what happened to the owl. The company successfully weaponized this unexpected campaign strategy with record breaking impressions (1.7 billion impressions on socials). While it was not the original plan for the campaign, knowing who their target audience is (millennials and gen-z) Duolingo was able to ‘piggyback’ on their viral moment to bring back previous users, and reach thousands more. 

So remember, brand personality is the collective audience’s image of your brand, and it helps shape the consumer’s emotional connection beyond the service/ products offered. To build and maintain customer loyalty that personality must be honest, unique, relevant, and must hole or strengthen the brand’s positioning. For a successful authentic and recognizable brand image, ensure constant delivery of these traits. 

Next time you see an ad, notice the brand’s personality, does it match what you experience as a customer?