Why brand personality is essential for entrepreneurs
And how to use the brand personality quiz to develop yours
What is brand personality?
A brand personality is made up of human-like attributes that inform how you present your brand to the world. It is what guides how you show up visually (through imagery, colours, logos), the tone you speak in and the way you behave as a business.
Why is brand personality important for entrepreneurs?
When you’re launching a business from scratch you need to be able to attract customers, differentiate your brand from fierce competition and have enough credibility to convince customers or partners to try a relatively new and unproven solution.
Harnessing the power of a unique brand personality can help early-stage entrepreneurs to do all three by creating an emotional, human connection with customers whilst also behaving like a professional brand and standing out from competitors.
How does brand personality work?
One proven way to define your brand personality is through using Carl Jung’s personality archetypes. There are 12 brand archetypes including: Sage, Innocent, Explorer, Ruler, Creator, Caregiver, Magician, Hero, Rebel, Lover, Jester, and Best Friend.
Entrepreneurs are able to assign their brand an archetype that represents a particular significance in society and culture, which can be used as a basis for developing a distinct brand personality.
The brand personality archetypes are based on four core human needs that drive our decision making. They include:
The desire for stability and control (Ruler, Caregiver, Creator)
The desire for connection and belonging (Lover, Jester, Best Friend)
The desire for achievement and mastery (Hero, Magician, Rebel)
The desire for freedom and independence (Sage, Explorer, Innocent)
By aligning your brand personality with a core human desire, entrepreneurs can create real connection and meaning between their business and the customer.
Discover the 12 brand personality archetypes
Successful brands like Nike and Apple use their brand archetype as a framework for growing a unique and recognisable brand.
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The Hero
The Hero is all about giving customers the confidence and courage they need to master the task at hand and achieve their most powerful potential.
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The Rebel
The Rebel likes to shock and disrupt, driven by a desire to revolutionise the way things are already done.
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The Magician
The Magician transforms dreams into reality, always finding a miraculous method to help their customers achieve mastery.
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The Innocent
The Innocent is associated with goodness and simplicity. Innocent brands have strong values that differentiate them from those with tarnished images.
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The Explorer
The Explorer brand pushes the boundaries of ‘normal’ to focus on discovery and expanding into new ways of thinking and living.
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The Sage
Sage brands provide expertise or information that encourage people to see new perspectives and uncover the truth so that they can overcome obstacles.
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The Best Friend
The Best Friend plays the ‘bestie’ role in people’s lives - down to earth, empathetic and genuine. It helps people feel like they belong.
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The Lover
The Lover puts passion at the centre of everything to build intimacy and connection. Lover brands can offer a reassuring connection that helps people to feel safe.
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The Jester
The Jester brand encourages people to live in the moment, lighten up and lean into joy. They often use humour to create connection.
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The Caregiver
The Caregiver brand is all about compassion, generosity and the desire to help others. They also seek to make caregiving easier for the carer.
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The Creator
The Creator brand archetype fosters innovation and beauty and is most commonly used by entrepreneurs, artists, writers and entrepreneurs.
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The Ruler
The Ruler brand takes control and protects those around them. Ruler brands help individuals to become wealthy, powerful and established.
Understanding your brand archetype and quiz results
Your quiz result - AKA your brand personality profile - is designed as a foundation to help build a unique brand personality that attracts your ideal clients.
Follow these three steps to get the most accurate quiz result:
✦ Pick the option that resonates the most even if more than one option could apply.
✦ When prompted by the question, make sure you are answering from the point of view of your ideal customer rather than you as a founder.
✦ Remember this quiz is designed as a fun and informative foundation for your brand personality. There may be elements of your personality profile that resonate more than others. Lean into what resonates most.