Creating a brand is hard work. It’s not enough to come up with a clever name and logo; you also have to create a brand personality that consumers can connect with. If you have decided that sincerity is a key tenet of your brand, it means creating a brand that is authentic. Instead of creating headlines that are provocative or rebellious, a sincere brand hopes to connect with its target audience by being honest and wholesome. Instead of being sophisticated and luxurious, your brand is stripped-down and down-to-earth. In this blog, we discuss what makes a brand ‘sincere’ and the types of products and services, and target audiences best suited to such a brand personality.
What is brand personality?
Brand personality is a significant component of a brand and is derived from its mission, vision, purpose and target audience. It’s a way for brands to be relatable to their target audience and it’s an effective way to stand apart from the competition. By giving a brand human-like traits – like quirky, adventurous, trustworthy or knowledgeable – we bring them alive. They become likeable and distinct from generic brands. According to the Aaker model, brand personalities can be categorised into five broad categories: sincerity, ruggedness, excitement, competence and sophistication.
What makes a brand sincere?
A brand that is sincere is heartfelt, true and genuine. They celebrate honesty and are down-to-earth, wholesome and sentimental. The Aaker model is based on the “Big Five” personality traits. If one rates high on the dimension of agreeableness would probably be trustworthy, empathetic and good-natured. When this is anthropomorphised into a brand, a brand embodying the trait of sincerity is born.
Such brands might advocate self-love, self-care, positivity, nurturing relationships or caring for friends or family. For example, Dove – the American personal care brand – promotes body positivity, challenges the preconceived standards of beauty and encourages women to love themselves as they are. Its mission is to “make a positive experience of beauty accessible to all.” And so craft their branding and messaging such that it uplifts consumers. Its Real Beauty Campaign, launched in 2004, released advertisements featuring real women of all shapes and sizes during a time only slender models were used. Such campaigns aimed to change the way people thought and viewed beauty.
How can you create a sincere brand?
Naturally, products that fall into certain categories, such as food, nutrition, gifts and cards are more likely to be sincere brands. Creating any brand also starts with your mission and vision. What world do you wish for your brand to create? For sincere brands, your mission might centre around the well-being of people, enriching lives, nurturing relationships or nourishing lifestyles and diets. For example, Campbell’s Soup, the iconic American company that offers hearty, wholesome soup, aims to “connect people through food” – a feel-good message focusing on how food can bring people together.
Who is your target audience?
In order to determine if your brand should take on a sincere personality, also think about who you’re selling your product to. This can be achieved with thorough market research. Through interviews, surveys or field studies, you can ascertain your target market and whether they would respond to trustworthy messaging. Honest, heartfelt branding can be powerful and can speak to the basic need of humans to connect, belong, and feel accepted, but will it appeal to your consumer market?
If you’re distributing baby care products, your target audience will be mothers who are looking for what’s best for their child. You want to convey to them that your product is safe for their little one. Your branding – the copy, photography and other visuals assets used – should convey this to your target audience.
Create a sincere brand with BDSA
It may not be immediately obvious if your brand fits best with a trait of sincerity. To be sure that this is the best way to brand your products and services, embarking on a branding process is key. At BDSA, a brand consultancy agency based in Singapore, we carry out branding in a methodical 3-step process: Brand Discovery, Brand Strategy, Brand Translation. Our brand marketing agency also offers social media marketing services so you can connect with your target audiences on popular platforms like Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. With us, you can also look forward to assistance when applying for Enterprise Singapore’s SME marketing grants.
Speak with us to learn more.
Recent Comments