Maybe it’s the fog and chill of today’s Colorado summer mountain rain, but I’m feeling all deep and existential.
Who are we? How are we known? How do the attributes by which we are known help others understand and connect with us? It’s not a novel concept to note that we are all different and that our differences derive from the particularities or our genetics, past experiences and choices. The same is true organizations of people. Over the years, I’ve worked with more than thirty colleges and universities engaged in the same types of work with the same basic sets of people and yet each institution is different—sometimes vastly different—from its peers as a result of its own strategic genes, legacy and choices. Each has its own personality. I was reminded of a tool I developed and used with for-profit clients several years ago. Each of these clients had been in business long enough to have developed their own corporate personality. I had been called upon to clarify and focus their brand strategy and so I developed a brand personality assessment as a part of the research we did with their existing customers. It was a fun and insightful way to get at the relationship an organization has with its constituents in a manner that goes much deeper than simple conversations about advertising campaigns, recognition and recall. Want to try it? This is how the brand personality assessment works. Think of your organization as though it were an individual person. For example, if you worked for the powerhouse athletic apparel company Nike, try to envision “Nike” as a friend of yours; what do you know to be true of Nike? What types of things would be authentic expression of who Nike is? What would seem false? Now it’s your turn. Instead of “Nike,” conjure up the name and associations that come to mind when you think of your own or another organization you know well. Remember to try to think of the organization as though it were an individual person, than answer some of the questions from the original brand personality assessment. 1. Where in the line-up of siblings was this person born? Oldest Middle Youngest Only Child 2. What kind of vehicle does this person drive? _____SUV (that actually gets taken off-road from time to time) _____Mini-van _____Buick _____Harley _____A hybrid car 3. What kind of living space does this person have? _____A downtown loft _____A home large enough for a guestroom for elderly parent _____A townhouse _____A modest brick home _____A teepee on a commune 4. What is this person’s favorite place to eat out? _____IHOP _____The cool new bar downtown _____The artsy new bistro with tiny portions on large, oddly shaped plates _____Chiles _____Somewhere organic and local 5. What is this person’s favorite music? _____Jazz _____Pop _____World music (i.e. foreign music) _____Classic Rock _____Classical 6. This person was born in ________ (pick one of the following cities that best represents the company’s personality.) _____Des Moines _____Seattle _____Venice, Italy _____Minneapolis _____Boston 7. On a major holiday, this person would be most likely to: _____Host the traditional meal at their home, make all the food from scratch _____Go to Aspen for a ski vacation _____Agree to come to your house for dinner and ask what they can bring _____Drink too much and get a little sloppy _____Do their holiday shopping at the last minute at 24-hour drugstore 8. It’s your birthday, this person… _____Bakes you a cake _____Surprises you with an adventure road trip _____Treats you to lunch _____Sends you a belated card (as usual) _____Completely forgets 9. You have a personal crisis, this person…. _____Comes right over to your home with a meal and a card _____Takes you rock climbing to get your mind off of it _____Sends flowers _____Listens to you talk, but gets distracted _____Doesn’t return your call 10. You haven’t seen each other in a while. Who calls first? You Him/Her 11. When you communicate with this person, you usually feel: _____Included in the discussion _____Like he/she expects you to read his/her mind _____Like he/she won’t shut up and let you get a word in edgewise _____Stupid! You feel you struggle to understand what he/she is saying _____Other (please explain) 12. If you were back in high school, this person would best be described as… _____The popular kid that everyone admired and/or hated _____The intelligent kid that had a circle of friends and no specific enemies _____The class nerd that everyone made fun of _____The druggy/stoner that broke the rules and scared people a little _____Who? (The loner no one really knew) Interesting, isn’t it? What did you learn as you thought about the organization’s brand personality? I’d love to hear your insights. I’d also love to hear any new questions you’d like to see added to the assessment. Kyndra Wilson, KW Brand Translation
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