Brand Psychology Digest: Brand Integrity

“We want integrity.” That’s what I claimed in our Business As Unusual manifesto film. The “we” references a growing band of us who want to change the way we do business.

And the way we do and talk about business these days hovers around brands and branding.

Branding is not logos and design and websites. Those are tools of branding. Real branding has to do with how what a company or personality purport to be about lines up with how that company or personality acts. That’s called integrity. Not “authenticity.” Integrity. Logos, design, and websites are central tools of conveying a brand with integrity or not. But they are not the brand.

Check in here periodically on updates on brand psychology, especially related to brand integrity. I want us to stay engaged, informed, and in conversation about what “We want integrity” means.

Here are two articles on the subject.

Brand Psychology Is Effective for Business and Politics Alike    

from The Jerusalem Post
Business and economics reporter for The Jerusalem Post Niv Elis reports that in talks with Google and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange last week in Israel, branding expert and marketing guru Jonathan Gabay spoke about the importance of branding in business and politics. He stated that the world of brands is transforming and the “biggest thing we are selling and will be selling is a cause,” not a product or service.With social media, everyone has come to brand themselves; brands have become more than “logos and jingles” and are now, “a way for people to help define themselves.”

Can Brands Change Their Personality? Psychology Has the Answer. 

from The Guardian
Professor of business psychology at University College London, Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic discusses brand personality, or “the human-like attributes associated with brands” and how using human personality psychology can help brands achieve a personality change. Much like people re-evaluate their identity throughout their lives, companies must re-evaluate theirs over time. What are “their core values, mission, and cultural DNA”? Then, companies must gauge their reputation with customers. If there is a difference between how the company sees themselves and how customers perceive them, then a personality shift is in order.