Personality is the new fuel for marketing

Shift from being brand guardians to brand catalysts.

[Photo: Getty Images]

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Through the annals of advertising history, the gospel of brand building has been written around a single capital letter: P.

The classical four P’s of price, product, place, and promotion were drilled into marketing minds in college. The major brand totem, P for positioning, is where companies spent millions defining razor-thin functional benefits, establishing category ladders, and staking claim to owned territory in the consumer’s mind. The last decade’s reverence has been for the all-guiding P for purpose, where brands raced to solve global crises, writing manifesto after manifesto, making very similar-looking ads to save the world (and sell products).

Now, the pendulum has swung again. While some would argue that positioning could feel cold and analytical, and purpose maybe grew lofty and detached, the new imperative for business growth is infinitely more human. This might arguably be at a time when consumers want something more human and real.

ENTER THE ERA OF PERSONALITY.

Personality is the new fuel for supercharging commercial growth. It is no longer enough for a brand to stand for an ideal or a functional benefit; it has to show up as a living, breathing entity with a voice, a soul, a vibe, and a........

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