If your brand was a movie character, who would it be?

A few years back, I was on a brand call with a mobile locksmith. He was a young guy, and I was enjoying the passion he brought to his business. He would talk about how normal it was for people to get ripped off just because they were locked out of home or car.

As we wrapped up, I was curious to ask him one of my favorite, fun questions.

“If your brand was a movie character, who would it be?”

Why is that a valuable question?

Because every character has a different attitude and way of talking. John Wayne, John Wick, and Jon Snow are all going to talk about locksmithing differently.

And as a marketer, I wanted to help him stand out as much as possible. One of the ways you do that is by identifying your brand voice.

This means literally how your brand sounds. What kinds of words does it use? What words will it never use?

So the locksmith responded: “Oh sure, I’d be Joe Dirt.”

I’d never heard of the movie. So I nodded, made a note, and then went and pulled up the trailers after the call.

It was hilarious.

I’d have never thought of giving this brand that kind of voice. But as I watched Joe Dirt’s drawl and shenanigans, it matched up with the loose, edgy, friendly attitude of the client.

And when I started building his website, I tweaked the copy to try and sound like Joe Dirt had dictated it.

Ain’t no other locksmith got as much heart on their About page, guaranteed.

Answering this question isn’t just fluff. It’s actually extremely valuable.

The next time you hire someone to write your website, or a blog, or social post, ask them to do it in your brand character’s voice.

This is something I actually do myself when I’m writing stories. I grew up reading and re-reading Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park. Now, whenever I write something futuristic or set in modern day, my mind immediately cues my inner Crichton, and tries to match his speedy, intense, perfectly poised style.

For Dream Again, and mostly me in general, my brand character would be Daniel Jackson, from the Stargate series.

He’s irredeemably passionate, a complete dork about details and stories, slow to judge and wide open to listening. And he’ll have these lapses into silence while his brain goes into high gear. In three works;

• Discoverer
• Friendly
• Helpful
• Always free with information.

So what about you?

Drop a comment about your brand character. Ever thought about it? What are the top 3 traits about that character that should impact how you sound?