brand who? in use

I found the Brand Who? process to be a wonderful exercise for both current brand definition and for students to focus their thinking on the possibilities for the brand. I asked students to select the adjectives based on their perceptions of what the brand currently represented. Interestingly, it was slightly schizophrenic, with about 30% of the adjectives falling into each of three distinct categories. It was then clear to the students that the brand did not present a strong identification or brand persona. Asking the students to then repeat the exercise, this time focusing on what the brand should or could be, was fascinating and helped them clarify their thinking.

As a side note, and quite unexpected, the process proved to be a wonderful team-building and negotiation exercise. They talked at length about concepts and ideas they had not considered previously; it was interesting to watch how they discussed the adjectives, what they represented and then came to decisions. Another interesting side light was how males and females and different ethnicities defined some of the adjectives, and the discussions that followed about their perceptions of the words.

- Dr. Debbie Treise

Associate Dean, Division of Graduate Studies
Professor, Department of Advertising
University of Florida

Thanks so much for presenting your Brand Who? project to my junior design class this week. Your talk about brand personality was an excellent way for them to engage with their first logomark design project. And it is an excellent example of translating academic research into a format accessible to creatives and their clients.

- Brian Slawson

Associate Professor, Graphic Design
University of Florida