Marketing Corporations as People: Personalizing a Company Brand

Aug 13, 2011
Diane Seltzer

Personalize a Company Brand by Marketing Corporations as People - Photo courtesy of homesbythomas

Some say corporations are people too. True or not, these ideas can help build a company's brand personality by being more personalized in marketing efforts.

In response to heckling at a 2011 political rally in Iowa regarding raising taxes for corporations, U.S. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney notably stated “Corporations are people, my friend”. Romney’s response was meant to imply that corporations are made up of people and taxing corporations more would mean taxing people more – an issue that most Republications are against. The comment created a lot of attention in the media because many do not see a corporation as being the same as people.

Although the issue of whether or not corporations are people too may be politically controversial, the idea of interjecting a personal tone and personalized attributes into a company brand and marketing efforts to build a brand personality is worth pursuing.

Marketing a Company by Building a Brand Personality

Despite the controversy associated with declaring corporations as people, many marketers do strive to create a more personal tone for corporate brands. While it is true that businesses are comprised of people, most consumers see a corporation as an entity that does not carry attributes of individual people.

Marketers can attempt to influence a company image or brand through a variety of marketing tactics (such as advertising, social media and other marketing communications) but the organization as a whole needs to also adopt an overall personality for the company for it to be truly effective.

Company brands can have personalities that range from formal and authoritative to informal and friendly. The goal should be to build a company brand personality that influences how you want consumers or customers to perceive your company. If positioning your company as an industry thought leader will help drive more sales, then a company may opt to build a more formal brand personality that focuses on industry innovation. If the goal is to target a young hip audience, then creating an informal, friendly brand personality may be better suited for your company.

Ideas to Create a Personal Tone Marketing a Corporate Brand

Establishing a personal tone in marketing can help corporate brands – or company brands of any size – connect more with consumers in their marketing efforts.

Here are some ideas to help create a more personal tone in a brand when marketing a company:

Market with people images. Use images of people that are representative of your target audience. If possible, use photos of real customers on your website and in your marketing communications.
Connect with social media. Use of social media is one of the best ways to engage and interact with customers in a continuous and informal manner.
Use second person. The use of second person, rather than a formal third person with no personality, can help to create more brand personality. Also try to communicate directly to the customer using the word “you” rather than leading with the company as “we” or “our”.
Create a community. A community forum or section of a website that enables consumers to interact with your brand builds a stronger connection with customers.
Create company blogs. A company blog improves branding by helping to extend the personality of a brand beyond the typical structure of a corporate website.
Use company employees. Having real company employees using real names of individuals in your marketing puts a face to your company brand.
Communicate with videos. Use of video throughout your website as well as through a company video marketing channel on YouTube further puts a face to employees within your company and reinforces your desired brand image.

The key to creating a more personal brand is being authentic and consistent throughout all of your company’s brand building efforts. Although your mantra may never fully be “corporations are people”, your marketing campaigns and activities can leverage personal attributes that position your company with a more personal brand image to make connections with people.