Comments on: Giving a Brand Personality

By: Cultivating Culture: A Vital Strategy For Building A Web Brand Through Social Media | The Future Buzz

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:21:07 +0000

[...] Giving A Brand Personality (Connie Bensen) [...]

By: Votre marque a t’elle une personnalité ? » dblog | TIC - Web 2.0 - Social Networking - Le blog de Frédéric Barré

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:09:34 +0000

[...] Via Connie Benson [...]

By: Connie

Connie — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:14:45 +0000

David,
That’s a great question -
Do you think it was our culture? and we just have so much?
Or was it the advertising medium?

By: David Yeo

David Yeo — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:40:25 +0000

Sometimes I think to myself and wonder how did we when we become a company stopped appearing human. Isnt a company like a community of people, unique in their goals … passions …. drive?

Im not sure why it took Web2.0 or social media to make us realize that? Maybe its the “face” we put on in attempts to look professional, credible.

By: Connie

Connie — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:07:49 +0000

Hi Rohit, Thank you for stopping by! I’m very much looking forward to your book. It’s one thing to talk about a blog making a company human, but it’s another trick to give a brand personality. It’s like taking it to another level! Some great things to think about.

Simon, I agree that if a business has a personality, they’ll be memorable. Most definitely! What could be better?

Dave,
What you say is so true. Listening is the key. If you listen carefully then the types of multimedia will be apparent so that you connect your message.

Check out Geoff’s Buzz Bin post in the next link to see an example of advertising that missed it’s context.

By: Culture Shock » The Buzz Bin

Culture Shock » The Buzz Bin — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:13:09 +0000

[...] Inject some personality into the content. That means reinventing most corporate communications departments’ polishing processes. By the time they are done polishing, a document may be safe, on message, perfect from grammatical standpoint, and about as interesting as a dissertation on modern calculus (sorry Ike). [...]

By: dbarger

dbarger — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:05:58 +0000

Connie,
I’ve been enjoying your blog and particularly pondering this recent question of ideas for creating brand personality.

After taking my mind around the block on it on my dusty blog, I submit these thoughts on creating that brand personality:
1. Maintain an ever present and responsive presence in the community.
2. Keep an eye on the “first impression” perception of the community to be certain that a cross-section of the target market is clearly represented and/or welcome.
3. Utilize the combinations of multi-media that reduce the likelihood of misinterpreting personality from the perceived tone of written-only word.

Thanks for being so helpful with discovery. You’ve been a wonderful guide!

By: Simon Young

Simon Young — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 05:06:07 +0000

That’s a really interesting point. A business sure needs a personality, and usually it has something to do with the founder, but I found myself in something of a quandary earlier this year when I relaunched my company, SimonYoungWriters.

I was trying to get across the idea that it wasn’t all about me any more, it’s about a virtual team of writers.

We redesigned our website, which involved taking my photo out of the main site design. Got some feedback that the new design was lacking - you guessed it - personality.

So, we’re planning to introduce a bit of that personality back using a podcast, and getting some of the other writers to contribute.

It’s very early days (we haven’t even started the podcast yet) but we’ll feel our way forward and try and have the personal touch on everything we do.

By: Rohit

Rohit — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 04:18:51 +0000

Hi Connie,

I think you have a great example of adding personality to your customer interactions, and you’re right in your sense that you have managed to give one to ACDSee through your efforts. Interestingly, one of the main elements of the book is taking you inside the phenomenon of the “accidental spokesperson” - which is often how brands find the right voices to take up the cause of personality. Thanks for writing about the book and sharing your efforts to give your brand personality. I am just finalizing the book now - and it should be out early next year.