"Thinking differently requires focusing less on marketing your products and benefits, and more on understanding how to use the personality behind your brand to build a relationship with your customers."
- Personality Not Included, page 8
"Whether you look at Virgin America or any of the Virgin brands, they all challenge conventions and stand apart in some way. It really is the perfect brand to start helping you understand what your organization’s personality is because it is unique, authentic, and talkable."- Personality Not Included, page 80
According to Bhargava, there are three key elements of personality for an organization: uniqueness, authenticity, and talkability.
Bhargava argues that there are four means of creating something unique:
Regarding authenticity, Bhargava believes that the term has achieved near-buzzword status, but it is still important. He offers the following suggestions for being authentic:
Of these, I believe that the fourth is the most important in being authentic. Profit should not be the goal above all others; instead profit should be one of many goals.
Finally, an idea must be talkable. “If you are only focused on being unique and authentic—you will have a great story but with hardly anyone telling it. To make your organization more talkable, Bhargava suggests:
In other words, embrace people who are talking about your brand by giving them something to talk about. And stay out of their way when they start talking.
"The smarter marketers know that the future is about participation and the conversation cannot be one-sided. This means that you are not giving up control, but sharing it."- Personality Not Included, page 35
One outcome of Web 2.0 has been the increased power provided to consumers. Consumers now control nearly every step of the purchasing process, and an unforeseen consequence of this is the rise of the “Accidental Spokesperson.”
While traditional marketing works with “authorized” spokespeople, Bhargava argues that “accidental” spokespeople are just as important to embrace. Accidental spokespeople are people who are talking about your brand. Some are brand enthusiasts, others are brand detractors. Both are speaking about your brand, and both are not authorized to do so.
Bhargava argues that these accidental spokespeople are key to the successful implementation of any marketing plan. However, “accidental spokespeople are not relaying official marketing messages”. Instead, they are sharing their actual experiences with your brand.
Marketers frequently interpret this lack of control as a reason to ignore (or even silence) their accidental spokespeople. But Bhargava argues that if you want to create a personality for your organization or brand, you must embrace them by giving them the content and attention they need to tell a compelling story. If you embrace your accidental spokespeople, and pay attention to what they say, you will receive good advice on what your organization’s personality actually is (at least in the eyes of the consumer).
"Forget the old ideas of publishing a company history or even an ‘about us’ page on a Web site."- Personality Not Included, page 105
A compelling backstory gets people interested. Citing the smash hit television show Lost, Bhargava argues that one of the primary tools used by the show’s writers was the backstory of each character. A backstory is the history behind something or someone that explains why they are the way they are. Stories help us identify and better understand what someone or something has gone through to get to where they are, and a compelling backstory will generate interest and empathy.
Bhargava believes a compelling backstory needs to answer the following questions:
After answering these questions, you’ll have the foundation for a compelling backstory and you can begin to demonstrate your personality.
Following the steps outlined in personality will help make your marketing more compelling and honest, as it relies on spokespeople both in and outside your organization to spread your message. It is important to remember that personality won’t make up for a faulty idea or product. “Bad ideas don’t get better with personality”.
Fred Reichheld is a Bain Fellow and founder of Bain & Company’s Loyalty Practice, which helps companies achieve results through customer and employee loyalty. He is the creator of the Net Promoter® system of management.
