Have you ever had a friend call you up after a date gushing that they are falling head over heels, even though the object of their affection has the personality of a stale bread loaf? Of course not, because your friends are clever and bubbling over with self-worth and discernment. Personality is perhaps the most vital quality we look for in a partner, friend, outfit, house… so why should it be any different when we’re talking about brands?

Brand loyalty is born from emotion and it is the emotional appeal of a strong brand personality that will take your endeavour from mediocre to magnetic.

When plotting the personality of your brand, first work out who your brand needs to speak to. Building a personality that aligns with the values that drive your brand will attract an audience that relates and will ultimately champion your brand to others.

Then, assess your brand’s aesthetic and give your brand a voice. This will make your brand so much more than a tool for selling or spruiking and transform it into a trusty member of your audience’s family, something they keep coming back to.

A brand with personality connects

When a brand connects with its audience, it is more than likely that it spoke their language, caught their eye and sparked their curiosity. Try pulling that magic without a stellar personality, and expect to be greeted by tumbleweeds only. Work out the key vocabulary that your brand voice should use. What are your buzzwords? What is your tone of voice? Add the sparkle, cut the drivel and make sure to be hard and fast with these rules no matter what platform you are using. From social media, to website copy, to larger campaigns, brand personality should sing through no matter the medium. It is also essential to define what your brand is NOT and to use these parameters to drive all your creative decisions.

A brand with personality has values

Show ‘em your values, and they’ll show you their loyalty. The values of the people behind the brand, the values of the brand as a whole and the actions taken that demonstrate these values to your audience are all a part of building a brand with grit. When a brand has personality, it can more readily articulate these values and promote them with conviction. Values will attract like minded people, like minded collaborators and like minded customers. When values are expressed with personality and are in keeping with a brand’s tone of voice and overall feeling, the sky’s the limit.

A brand with personality has style

It’s what’s on the inside that counts, okay? But we are visual creatures, and aesthetics and great design are what originally attract us to a brand like a moth to a flame. A little bit of style goes a long way, and personality and aesthetics go hand-in-hand when we’re talking branding and business. Brand personality is created by consistency in all areas to create that rock solid foundation. The visual personality of your brand, teamed with its values and its message work together to create a brand that is not only built on strong fundamentals but that has real staying power.

Remember that the power of your brand lies with its emotional appeal to your target audience and this appeal is all in the personality. Master this strength and there's nowhere your brand can’t take you.

This article has been written by AllBright Australia member + guest-contributor, Tess Robinson, founder + creative director of Smack Bang.