Brand Stewards Should Consider Using A Brand Character/Avatar When….

Brand characters, we all know them, we all grew up with them and we all like them.

Brand characters are like the “workhorses” of communication. When created properly, they become “neurologically sticky”, they command attention in the age of distraction, they create cohesion across channels and touch points and they trigger emotional responses like no other creative device. I’ve written more about the “The 6 Strategic Reasons every Brand Should Consider Using Brand Avatars” here.

More importantly, recent research shows that they are also more effective at generating new consumers, increasing market share, reducing price sensitivity and increasing profit. Further, brand characters are also shown to be more effective in growing share than “borrowed interest” assets such as influencers and celebrities.

So when does it make the most sense to use a brand character? Based on our experience and third-party research, it makes sense to consider using a brand character:

1. In commoditized and low-involvement categories
2. When a brand lacks emotional relevance with its customers
3. When a brand is outspent by its competitors
4. When a brand can’t rely on product news to keep  customers interest
5. When a brand lives across multiple channels
6. When a brand relies primarily on social media
7. When a brand is using a spokesperson

So if your brand is in any of these situations, you should consider exploring a brand character/avatar as a way to build your brand.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: 

GO BACK TO “POSITIONING FUNDAMENTALS” for more articles about brand strategy, brand positioning, customer insights, and creative problem-solving.

Learn everything there is to know about brand position development and become more “brand positioning fluent” than 99% of the marketing community with my online course “The Art & Craft Of Brand Positioning Development”. Learn what it is, how to set objectives for your positioning, how to segment your consumers, how to create genuinely differentiating and distinctive positioning statements, sources of brand positioning, how to assess, evaluate, and improve existing positioning statements (with examples), and learn what mistakes to avoid. 

Do you just want to learn the basics of brand positioning development? Check out the award-winning “Brand Positioning Workbook:  A simple how-to guide to more compelling brand positioning, faster”. Available on Amazon around the world. 

Working solo on a brand positioning project or preparing a positioning workshop? Check out the best-selling Brand Positioning Method Cards for guidance and inspiration. 

Interested in insights and how to generate them instead? Then the Aha! The Indispensable Insight Generation Toolkit might be for you. Available as a set of method cards in the US and as a Kindle document outside the US. 

Need an expert team to help you position or re-positon your brand and identify new growth opportunities? Then reach out

Alternatively, you may want punctual advice, feedback, and inspiration without hiring a consulting team. Then, book an hour of coaching with me.