The power of personality
What is ‘blanding’? And what do brands need to do to avoid this serious condition?
By James Maxwell on Monday 12 May 2025
Today, wallflowers don’t get to dance.
If you want to get results in a saturated market, where products and services blur into a sea of sameness, harnessing the standout power of your brand personality is crucial.
Audiences aren’t looking for features – they’re seeking authentic emotional connections. This is where brand personality wears its best dress, acting as a vital differentiator. It’s no longer enough to have a quality product; how your brand speaks, behaves and engages is what truly sets it apart.
The rise of blanding
A major pitfall brands are currently falling into, is “blanding”. Nervousness, group think and risk aversion have watered down brand personalities. Recent analysis reveals a decline in the use of characters, distinctive accents, ambiguity, wordplay, double meaning and metaphor. Brands are becoming wallpaper. But brands that are crafting their personas, pushing their creative, owning a tone, are seeing results.
What’s next? Hopefully the death of vanilla! Prudent and broadly appealing seems safe, but can backfire. Consumers crave personality, something that feels raw and relatable. Social platforms amplify the importance of personality, especially in crowded markets such as the US. So Salesforce using Matthew McConaughey, and the success of hot pink Klarna, have won using humour, wit and relatability.
What can today’s marketer take away from this?
When consumers are bombarded with choices, personality-driven brands break through. By staying authentic, but noticeable, and engaging emotionally, brands can create lasting connections.
Anti-blanding isn’t just a trend, it’s a necessity. Whether through humour, design or iconic actions, a strong brand personality is the best way to rise above the competition.
This blog comes from our recent insight paper ‘Signals’, which includes fourteen thought pieces from departmental experts at Teamspirit on emerging trends, opportunities - and how marketers can stay ahead of them. You can download the full ‘Signals’ report here.
