Introduction
Your law brand personality is the collection of traits and characteristics. These are used consistently throughout the entire brand experience. An effective brand personality humanizes a brand and gives it a unique expression. Ultimately, it makes it relatable to its target audience.
Law brand personality is communicated through your visual identity, brand voice, and overall actions. Therefore, it is important to precisely define it to resonate with your target consumer. Consequently, brand personality can result in increased brand equity. Furthermore, it can define the brand’s attitude in the marketplace. Hence, it is the key factor of any successful marketing campaign.
There are two main approaches to defining your law brand personality. Also, there is a third method that combines the first two. In order to discover your law brand personality, consider the following.
1. Aaker’s Brand Personality Dimension Framework
Branding and marketing expert Jennifer Aaker defined 5 distinct dimensions of brand personality. In short, each dimension is further defined by traits. The combination of these traits is what makes a brand recognizable. Ultimately, the goal is to define an authentic brand personality. Also, to be true to your core values, positioning and your brand’s promise.
- Sincerity, kindness, thoughtfulness and an orientation toward family values
- Excitement: carefree, spirited and youthful
- Competence: successful, accomplished and influential, highlighted by leadership
- Sophistication: elegant, prestigious and sometimes even pretentious
- Ruggedness: rough, tough, outdoorsy and athletic
Sincerity
Sincerity is reserved for brands that are genuine, wholesome, honest, cheerful and down-to-earth. People appreciate their generous, helpful and caring nature. Accordingly, these brands are often found in the hospitality, food service and safety industries.
Excitement
These brands are daring, spirited, passionate, creative, energetic, imaginative and cutting-edge. However, they often target youthful demographics. If you’re a change-maker and a visionary, you probably fall under the excitement category.
Competence
A competent brand is reliable, intelligent and successful. Brands within this dimension are confident thought leaders and responsible, trustworthy persons. When your brand dimension is competence, you’re the one people depend on. These brands are in the financial, insurance, healthcare and logistics industries. For example- doctors, lawyers, plumbers and car mechanics.
Sophistication
Brands in the sophistication dimension are characterized by traits like refined, luxurious and charming. These are premium brands aimed at a discerning, status-conscious audience. Sophisticated brands inspire a sense of luxury, prestige, femininity and high class. For example, lifestyle bloggers, beauty gurus and graphic designers fall under this dimension.
Ruggedness
Rugged brand traits include adventurous, outdoorsy and tough. These brands are built to last, hard-working, strong, sporty, muscular and authentic. Accordingly, they are commonly found in construction, outdoors, and sports industries. Besides B2C brands, personal trainers, life coaches and other consultants often have a rugged personality.
To start, pick 3-5 personality traits for your law brand. Consequently, the traits you choose will fall under one of these five personality dimensions. For example, successful and influential will go under competence. That way you will determine your law brand’s personality trait.
2. Brand Archetypes Framework
Another way to personify your brand is to choose an archetype. It is a model based on Carl Jung’s theory. It refers to people’s tendency to use symbolism to understand concepts. He defined 12 archetypes that represent groupings of characteristics, aspirations, values and attitudes. To start, answer the following question. Which one of these identities will your ideal client relate to most?
Everyman
He is a regular person who wants to connect with others. His goal is to fit in and he wants their customers to feel a sense of belonging. His traits are: casual, down-to-earth, folksy, supportive, real, democratic, equality, community etc.
Lover
He wants their customer to find love and connection. Hence, his goal is intimacy. His traits are: romantic, sensual, passionate, warm, intimate, giving etc.
Jester
He wants their customers to have more joy and laughter in their daily lives. His goal is to enjoy life. His traits are fun, light-hearted, quirky, zany, irreverent, humorous, enjoyable, never boring etc.
Creator
He wants their customers to believe in what’s possible. Therefore, his goal is to innovate. His traits are imaginative, creative, artistic, entrepreneurial, inventive, non-conformist, visionary, innovative etc.
Ruler
He wants their customers to feel more organized, stable, secure. Accordingly, his goal is to control in order to lead. His traits are: organized, leader, role model, responsible, controls the chaos, boss etc.
Caregiver
He wants their customers to feel understood and protected. His goal is to serve others. His traits are maternal, generous, compassionate, caring, nurturing, parental, empathetic, selfless.
Magician
He wants to make their customers’ dreams come true. His ultimate goal is power in order to make magical things happen. His traits are: inspirational, idealistic, charismatic, visionary, imaginative, spiritual.
Hero
He wants to help their customers: by rescuing them from their troubles. His goal is mastery in order to make the world a better place. His traits are: bold, honorable, confident, strong, courageous, inspirational.
Rebel
He wants to help their customers break free from the status quo and overturn what’s not working. Consequently, his goal is liberation. His traits are change-maker, rule-breaker, revolution, edgy, misfit, outrageous, radical, free, disruptor, shocking etc.
Innocent
His goal is happiness. He wants to help their customers feel great on the inside. His traits are: positive, kind, good, pure, simple, young, loyal, optimistic, trustworthy. Furthermore: moral, reliable, honest, good virtues, nostalgic, sees the good in everything, faith, does the right thing etc.
Explorer
He wants to help their customers have new experiences, adventures, discoveries. His goal is freedom. Thus, his traits are adventurous, independent, pioneering, individualistic, wanderlust.
Sage
His goal is to understand. He wants to help their customers by sharing knowledge. His traits are: wise, visionary, knowledgeable, intelligent, trusted source of information, thoughtful, mentoring, advisor, guru.
Afterward, compile your list of keywords and associate each keyword with the brand personality archetypes above. Finally, check where your law firm fits the most.
3. Combination of Personality Dimensions & Archetypes Frameworks
Create your own framework by combining an archetype with brand anchors. In addition, use your best judgment when choosing the traits that fit your archetype. Finally, everything you do should be anchored by your defined brand personality traits.
Conclusion
Afterward, determine a strategy to communicate that personality with consistency. Include it in your visual identity and brand voice. In short- in every action, you take along the way.
Visual Identity. Include your logo, fonts, brand color palette, imagery, and design style used in your marketing materials. Align your visual identity with your brand anchors. As a result, your law firm will become more recognizable.
Brand Voice. Include the language you use to communicate your messages.
Actions. Make sure your actions are intentional and align with your personality. Basically, everything you do impacts your customers perceiving you in a certain way. Keep in mind that people’s perceptions are largely based on their experiences. Therefore, your actions should be brand promises fulfilled.
Finally, make your goal to convey a consistent personality in your branding. With consistency, people will get to know you, trust you and choose you. In short, you should live up to your brand personality in everything you do. Consequently, people will describe you with the same personality characteristics you defined in your brand strategy.