Five Brand Personality Dimensions

Choose two of five research-backed personality dimensions, then add tension with 'X but not Y' attribute statements

Arielle Jackson
The art of building legendary brands | Arielle Jackson (Google, Square, First Round Capital)

Five Brand Personality Dimensions

"Brands are like people. And if you start thinking of your brand more like a person, it's quite obvious that it needs a personality, because all people have personalities." - Arielle Jackson

What It Is

The Five Brand Personality Dimensions is a two-step framework for developing your brand's personality. First, you identify which two of five research-backed dimensions your brand will "spike" in. Then, you create five "X but not Y" statements that add nuance and tension to make your brand interesting and distinctive.

This framework is based on academic research by Jennifer Aaker that analyzed the world's top brands and found they all cluster around five personality dimensions.

How It Works

Part 1: The Five Dimensions (Pick Two)

Strong brands spike in two of these five dimensions:

1. Sincerity

  • Down-to-earth, honest, wholesome, cheerful
  • Examples: Coca-Cola, Hallmark, Campbell's

2. Excitement

  • Daring, spirited, imaginative, up-to-date
  • Examples: Mountain Dew, Red Bull, Nike

3. Competence

  • Reliable, intelligent, successful
  • Examples: IBM, Intel, Microsoft

4. Sophistication

  • Upper class, charming, elegant
  • Examples: Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, Chanel

5. Ruggedness

  • Outdoorsy, tough, masculine
  • Examples: Jeep, Harley-Davidson, Patagonia

Real-World Examples

Brand Dimensions
Mountain Dew Ruggedness + Excitement
Rolex Sophistication + Competence
Amazon Sincerity + Competence
Google Sincerity + Competence
Apple Sophistication + Competence

Note: Many tech companies end up as "Sincerity + Competence"—which creates a differentiation problem if everyone in your category is the same.

Part 2: X But Not Y Statements (Create Five)

After identifying your two dimensions, create five personality attribute statements using the format:

"We are X, but not Y"

Where Y is taking X too far.

Examples:

  • Google: "We are playful, but not silly"
  • Mountain Dew: "We are daring, but not reckless"
  • A fintech startup: "We are approachable, but not unprofessional"

Why X But Not Y Works

Brands need tension to be interesting.

If your attributes are:

  • Helpful
  • Nice
  • Approachable
  • Competent
  • Reliable

You've basically said one thing five different ways. There's no tension, no edge, nothing memorable.

But if your attributes are:

  • Helpful, but not overbearing
  • Savvy, but not condescending
  • Playful, but not silly
  • Approachable, but not generic
  • Bold, but not reckless

Now there's character. There's something to design toward. There's copy guidance.

How to Apply It

Step 1: Analyze Your Category

What two dimensions do most competitors spike in? (Often Sincerity + Competence in tech)

Step 2: Choose Your Two Dimensions

  • Same as category = compete on execution
  • Different from category = stand out but risk confusion

Step 3: Brainstorm Attributes

Within your two dimensions, list 15-20 adjectives that could describe your brand.

Step 4: Create Five X But Not Y Statements

For each of your top 5 attributes:

  • What would taking it too far look like?
  • Write: "We are [attribute], but not [too far]"

Step 5: Visualize

For each statement, find 2-3 examples (images, ads, copy snippets) that embody "X" and 2-3 that show "Y" (what you want to avoid).

When to Use It

  • When briefing designers on visual identity
  • When briefing copywriters on tone of voice
  • When evaluating whether marketing creative is "on brand"
  • When expanding to new channels (would we sound like this on TikTok?)
  • When something feels "off brand" but you can't articulate why

The ADP Example

"Your brand personality for ADP, I don't know, it's pretty not fun. And so for them, when they put on the fun hat, it seems awkward and forced."

When brands try to be something they're not, it fails. ADP trying to be fun for summer felt wrong because their core personality doesn't include excitement—they're competence and sincerity. Trying to add excitement clashed.

Output

Your personality work should produce a brand style guide section that includes:

  • Two primary personality dimensions
  • Five "X but not Y" statements
  • Visual inspiration for each statement
  • Counter-examples (what to avoid)
  • 10 sample lines that sound like your brand

Source

  • Guest: Arielle Jackson
  • Episode: "The art of building legendary brands | Arielle Jackson (Google, Square, First Round Capital)"
  • Key Discussion: (01:02:51 - 01:07:39) - Explaining the five dimensions and X but not Y approach
  • YouTube: Watch on YouTube
  • Academic Source: Jennifer Aaker's research on brand personality dimensions

Related Frameworks

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