Name: Sanket Nayak
WHEN GOOD BRANDS DO BAD
“The effects of personality on the relationship are both direct and indirect, as partner personality systematically influences the behaviors displayed in a relationship and bi-ases the character inferences that are derived from the ob- servation of these behaviors over time “
Many companies are trying to get target customers’ attention by creating a distinctive brand image for their products. In the United States, promotion of General Motors’ Chevrolet truck emphasized the image of “Like a rock,” and that of Canon’s EOS Rebel X camera emphasized the image of independence, dynamism, and brilliance through the tennis player Andre Agassi. These kinds of human characteristics associated with a brand are called “brand personality.” The importance of brand personality to consumers’ brand loyalty and repurchasing behavior has not been widely acknowledged.
The greater the self-expressive value and the distinctiveness of brand personality are, the greater will be the attractiveness of the brand personality. The greater the attractiveness of the brand personality is, the more consumers will identify with that brand.
Brand differentiation is now an important tactic for the competitive struggle in today's hostile market. A good solution for making brand superiority is through brand personality. Sticking personalities to brand helps in making a different identity and then end to better desirability for consumers. All of the direct and indirect communication and contact that consumers have with a brand affect perceptions of personality traits and make them. Customers' attitudes and behaviors towards the brand will reflect in brand personality, which may affect on consumer tendency in connection with the brand and ultimately affect purchase likelihood. Mainly the products are categorized in to two sections:
1. Sincerity: that includes traits like honest, real and safe
2. Excitement: that includes traits like courageous, imaginative, exciting
Volvo, the Swedish carmaker, is a great example of a brand depicting this personality trait. Volvo is all about highlighting safety, design, performance and the environment, the traits associated with its brand. These traits are important to the Volvo driver who is aware that these elements are thoroughly considered in the design process. Volvo has been sincere not just to its brand but also to its consumers.
On the other hand we can take a product like AXE, which fall into the category of excitement brand personality. Whenever you see AXE you relate the brand with youthfulness, flirtyness, imaginative and exciting.
While global communications and other marketing levers can help ensure that a brand is positioned in a consistent way around the world, a single tone of voice is unlikely to succeed in engaging consumers across varied cultures. Marketers need to understand the cultural context in which their brand communicates; they may find that they need to vary not only what they say, but how they say it. Though every brand will face a unique situation due to a number of factors, including product category and country of origin, it is necessary that marketers are witty enough to make a personal corelation betwenn their brand and the customers.