How Excitement Brands Make an Impact on Thrill-Seeking Consumers

Red Bull, Mountain Dew, Nike, Apple: These well-known brands exude energy, enthusiasm, innovation. In their marketing and advertising campaigns, they project a sense of adventure and promise thrilling experiences. Their taglines — e.g., “Red Bull Gives You Wings” and Nike’s “Just Do It” — appeal to the target audience’s desire for novelty and new, unique interactions.

These brands are what marketers call “excitement brands,” a designation that derives from the concept of “brand personality.”

While the notion of brand personality has been around since 1997, when behavioral scientist and marketing professor Jennifer Aaker published a landmark journal article about it, brand personality remains relevant nearly 30 years later because it works. As a tool for developing and honing a sense of “who” a brand is, brand personality gives companies a way to differentiate themselves and connect with their ideal consumers. “Just like individuals, brands with a compelling and well-defined personality have the ability to captivate audiences, forge deep connections, and stand out in crowded markets,” says a recent article.

Today’s consumers want brands to be relatable, says a recent article by Michelle Noel. “The truth is – customers might look elsewhere if a brand isn’t relatable and instantly recognisable and approachable.” The brand’s personality, if projected consistently and appealingly, creates that relatability and recognition.

Curious about how developing and communicating your brand’s personality could help your brand find its audience? Read on for a deeper exploration of the brand personality concept and the excitement brand style in particular.

What Is a Brand Personality?

Brand personality is the set of human characteristics and attributes that consumers associate with the brand — “the sum of its emotional, psychological, and behavioural patterns,” says Noel.

This personality is expressed through the brand’s marketing and advertising campaigns, including print and digital ads, commercials, packaging, and taglines — any opportunity the brand creates to share its unique voice, values, and visual identity with consumers.

Personality isn’t necessarily about product quality, usefulness or enjoyment, it’s about what that quality says about the brand. Think about “how you’d describe a brand as if it were a person. … What qualities do you appreciate in your friends, or would put you off taking a relationship to the next level?” These are the kinds of qualities that let consumers know whether a brand is worth their loyalty.

What Is an Excitement Brand?

Four or five brand personalities are widely recognized by marketers. That might not seem like a broad enough palette to describe the thousands of brands in the marketplace, but these are less personality “types” than broad, yet meaningful, categories that encompass many traits. Think of these personalities as themes, not mission statements. Many brands embody multiple traits, with one or two dominant.

Sincerity

A sincerity brand conveys qualities like honesty, transparency and integrity, says Omnisend. These brands are “friendly, approachable, and go above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction.” Authenticity is one hallmark of these brands, which also “tend to be ethical, trustworthy, and down-to-earth,” says Noel, who gives Patagonia as an example of a sincere brand.

Excitement

Like Red Bull, Apple, Nike and Disney, “these brands are bold, creative, and spirited,” says Noel. Omnisend adds daring, imaginative and up-to-date to that list. Excitement brands, says Omnisend, “constantly seek new ways to engage and delight their audience, creating memorable experiences that leave a lasting impression.”

Competence

Brands that convey competence are intelligent and reliable, like Volkswagen and Microsoft, Noel says. Efficient and professional, these brands “instill confidence and credibility among consumers, assuring them that the brand can deliver on its promises.” Part of that assurance is that the brand will continue to improve its products and services to stay in the vanguard of trends and tech.

Sophistication

Sophisticated brands appeal to consumers who value prestige and status. These brands tend to personify high-quality materials, sleek design, timelessness, and a sense of luxury that justifies their often-higher prices. These brands are also aspirational: “They connote the lifestyle their customer wishes to have and would be the number one choice for many if they could afford it,” says hurree.co.

Ruggedness

Think of rugged brands as a sibling to sincere brands, with whom they share traits like authenticity and staying true to their core values. They also convey durability, toughness, and a connection to nature. “A tough, outdoor, or extreme sports brand such as Harley-Davidson, Levi’s, Jeep, or REI is a typical example of a rugged brand,” says Noel.

How Can I Make My Brand an Excitement Brand?

Consider the excitement brand’s traits: these brands create unforgettable experiences, offer surprising perspectives and implementations, and generate un-ignorable hype around their products and events. What aspects of your brand’s identity align with these traits? Are there ways to “add” or emphasize traits while remaining authentic to your core values? How can you represent these traits in your experiential marketing events, brand activations, pop-ups, advertising, and social media presence? Working with an experiential marketing and branding agency can help answer these questions, and find ways to tell your brand story that reinforce the message of excitement, energy, and novelty.

Excitement brands, says hurree.co, “want to encourage their customers to come on a journey with them that will lead them to discover something new.”

When you’ve identified the traits your brand most embodies — or those you want to develop further — create and implement a strategy for communicating them to consumers. Noel identifies three primary means of doing that:

• Visual identity, including logo, color palette, typography, and use of photography and graphics.
• Voice — the language you use and how you use it (and at what volume you project it).
• Aligning actions and values. “Everything you do affects how your customers perceive you. Ensure that your actions align with your defined personality,” Noel says.

As you identify and refine your brand’s personality, keep the customer in mind — the goal of developing your brand’s personality is forging deep emotional connections with consumers who share your values as much as or more than they enjoy your products or services. Noel explains, “By telling people what your brand stands for, what you contribute, and why people should care about it, they will be more inclined to support and invest in it.”

Promobile Marketing is a dynamic experiential marketing agency based in New York City. For over a decade, Promobile Marketing has collaborated with a range of brands—from budding startups to major CPG brands—on immersive marketing campaigns. Get in touch to discuss your next project.