Who drives your brand personality matters.

Can brands ever really separate their personality from those at the driver's seat?

Virgin (and all it's brand splinters) all fall to a personality that embodies its founder. Richard Branson has a joie de vivre and that carries through the brands. The goal is to attract like customers and reach out to those people who do as well. It's all integrated. But, it also works for the brand and what it stands for.

Other brands, like Coca-Cola, have a personality that has been developed over time and I'm sure somewhat existed prior to the current CEO and other stakeholders. They understand that the brand isn't them, it is its own thing.

When working on branding projects, it's often hard for stakeholders, or the ultimate stakeholder, to not put their own spin on how they feel the brand should be positioned, for right or wrong. You see it when people are reviewing creative work all the time when they don't like something because personally they don't like it, not because it's not right for the brand or piece of communication.

Great brand leadership in a company is able to separate themselves from the work and will understand that the brand needs to connect with the target audience. It's not about what they want, it's about what works best for the brand and who they are trying to reach.

Until more executives and board members understand this, we will continue to see a proliferation of brands that struggle to identify who they are, how to connect with their customers and in the end, be successful. It's those who stay true to their inception and are brands developed with a purpose and belief that will be able to win out.