“It’s nice to put a face to the name” is an expression we’ve all heard. And while it’s typically used when referring to finally meeting a person you’ve heard a lot about, it can also be applied to marketing. In today’s competitive market, giving your brand a personality is the best way to stand out.
Digital Phosphenes founder and branding expert Abdelaziz Ben Ferjani breaks it down: “People can’t relate to inanimate things. But they can relate to a person”, he says. Take a look at prominent brand mascots like The Geico Gecko, Progressive’s Flo, or The Pillsbury Doughboy. “All of these brands have realized that leveraging a personality over time will make the brand more memorable and relatable than simply using a logo”, explains Ben Ferjani.
Even charities understand the resonating power of personalities. “If you look at the world’s most successful charities, the campaigns that work best are the ones where instead of reporting some big number and some big problem, they personalize it by sharing the story of one human being” he says. “That individual’s story is what makes people take action and support the cause.”
This is why it pays to associate your brand with a face or character:
It Establishes An Identity
By giving your brand a character with human traits, you can associate those traits with your brand. It’ll be easier to make it clear to customers what your brand stands for, and you’ll be able to attract customers who relate to those traits.
It Makes You Memorable
Studies have proven that the human brain can recognize faces better than names. And if your company or service is something relatively unexciting like insurance, adding a quirky character to the mix will help your brand stand out from the crowd.
You’ll Gain Customer’s Trust
Customers are far more likely to trust a person than a company. By imbuing your company with human-like traits, it’ll be easier to gain and maintain customers, especially if they are able to connect with or relate to your brand’s character.
So don’t settle for a boring logo that will just blend into the sea of thousands of forgettable brands. Pick a face, create a character, choose a personality — your customers will remember you for it.
You can learn more about Abdelaziz’s agency, Digital Phosphenes on their website. You can also follow him on Instagram @abdelaziz.ferjani or reach out to him on his LinkedIn account.
