This article originally appeared in Inc. Magazine.
Ginger Zumaeta, an Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) member in Los Angeles, is the founder of Motive3, a brand strategy agency that helps companies build messaging playbooks for communications that resonate and motivate. We asked Ginger how brand personality helps companies stand out in an increasingly AI-generated content landscape. Here's what she shared.
Artificial Intelligence is accelerating content creation at an unprecedented pace. But that raises a few problems. It makes standing out in the ever-expanding sea of digital noise increasingly challenging and presents a unique conundrum to company leaders and their brand messaging and content teams. The problem has shifted -- from producing more content to crafting content with character and a distinctive brand personality.
Determining Your Brand Personality
One of the first steps in standing out in an AI-driven content landscape is defining your brand's personality. More than just adjectives, this is the essence of your brand's human side. To find it, ask: If your brand were a person, who would it be? What values would it stand for? What is its motive? These questions help create a persona that your audience can connect with.
When working with clients on messaging strategy, my team utilizes a few trusted models to determine brand personality through introspection and analysis. It's not just a matter of saying "We're friendly" and moving on. Brand personality drives everything the company says -- and does. So, it should be carefully considered.
Several authoritative methodologies guide this process:
1. Brand Archetypes
Based on Carl Jung's theory, brand archetypes define a set of 12 universal character types that a brand can embody. These include the Innocent, the Sage, the Explorer, and the Ruler, among others. Identifying which archetype your brand aligns with can help define its characteristics, motivations, and values. It also provides a "character" to envision. The book Archetypes in Branding by Margaret Hartwell and Joshua C. Chen is an excellent resource.
For example, we worked with a cybersecurity startup offering a very complex solution to a small but persistent problem in the identity management space. We selected a Guardian as their archetype, a sub-archetype of the Hero. We felt the promise of a "firm hand toward the greater good" reflected how the startup incorporated aspects of guidance and prevention into the Hero concept.
2. The Five-Dimensional Brand Personality Model
The Five-Dimensional Brand Personality Model, developed by Jennifer Aaker, a professor at Stanford, suggests five core dimensions that define a brand's personality:
- Sincerity
- Excitement
- Competence
- Sophistication
- Ruggedness
Brands can evaluate themselves against these dimensions to find where they naturally fit.
3. The Fascination Advantage System
Sally Hogshead's Fascination System adds another dimension to understanding and developing a brand's personality. While it aligns in some ways with Jennifer Aaker's Five-Dimensional Brand Personality Model, Hogshead's approach focuses more on how brands and individuals can become more fascinating and captivating to their audience.
My company leverages all three models with clients at different inflection points when developing brand messaging playbooks. And these are particularly useful for training their AI.
Strategies for Implementation
Once your brand personality is defined, the next step is bringing it to life across all channels, internal and external. This means consistent voice and tone in your website, blog posts, social media, and advertising. Ensure that every piece of content, AI-generated or not, aligns with your personality.
Let's delve a bit deeper. If your brand exudes a playful personality, your content should mirror that playfulness. Humor and casual language will help convey your brand's essence. Your audience will appreciate the lighthearted approach, creating a solid emotional connection.
On the flip side, if your brand leans more toward the serious, go with a formal tone and detailed content. Precision and professionalism become your hallmark; your audience will expect and respect this approach.
Remember: It's not just how you say it; it's also what you say. Your content's substance must align with your brand's personality, too. If your playful brand suddenly starts sharing deeply technical content, it might create confusion or disconnect.
Embracing a brand-personality-driven content strategy can be a transformative step toward creating more authentic, engaging content. Here are a few practical strategies to make it happen:
- Create Clear Guidelines: Develop a comprehensive messaging playbook that includes guidance on your brand personality's specific voice, tone, and style to serve as a reference for your team to follow.
- Educate Your Team: Start by ensuring that everyone on your team understands what the brand personality is and why it matters. Conduct training to explain the personality nuances and how to reflect them. We lead story-mining workshops with clients to unearth real stories and case studies where the brand's personality shines through.
- Lead by Example: As a leader, you should embody the brand personality in your own communication and interactions. Show your team what it means to walk the talk and set the standard for how the personality should come across.
Balancing AI and Authenticity
Incorporating AI in content strategy shouldn't mean losing your brand's human touch. Think of AI as a tool to enhance your brand's voice, not replace it. AI is great for streamlining the content creation processes, brainstorming, and outlining. But the magic happens when you infuse AI-generated content with your brand's distinct personality. This symbiotic relationship allows for efficiency gains without compromising the authenticity and emotional connection that human-driven content can foster, resulting in a content strategy that harmoniously blends technology and humanity.
A distinctive brand personality is crucial for standing out, especially in a content world increasingly dominated by AI. Creating a messaging playbook that defines your brand personality and how to convey it across different content formats can help.
