Our personalities are a primary differentiator. Throughout the course of our lifetimes, we meet thousands of people, but the ones with engaging personalities are the ones we are likely to remember. To establish a brand that people recognize and appreciate, you need to create and express an engaging, and honest, corporate personality.

In the marketplace, functional and emotional benefits, along with core competencies, are easily replicated. Personality is constant, and yet adaptable to changes in business pursuits. A clearly defined brand personality will help you solidify your competitive positioning, enhance the perceived value of your offering, and imbue all that you do with uniqueness.

To illuminate your corporate brand personality, it can be useful to imagine the company as an actual person, interacting as that person would with customers and competitors. List the personality traits that positively set your company apart from the competition along with those that support the key audience messages you've identified. Is your company conservative or flamboyant? Authoritative or supportive? Passionate or dispassionate?

Identify the most striking personality traits -- the genuine hallmarks of your organization -- which will support the key audience messages and benefits, be fully appreciated by your target audience, and remain competitively distinctive. Consider whether your company can own these personality traits and if they honestly fit with your corporate culture. After all, there is no point in posing as an "adventurous" company when the real management style is cautious and conservative. We all know how off-putting a fake personality can be, so be honest.

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