3 min readEach of the “big five” personality types will respond to marketing messaging differently. Understanding how to speak each consumer’s personal language is key to more effective marketing.
Openness
The open consumer is intellectually curious, creative, and is drawn by novelty. To reach this individual more effectively, providing variety and spontaneity in messaging while playing to the more adventurous and artistic side is recommended. It is also important to note that open personalities tend to challenge authority and the status quo, while advocating for imaginative storytelling.
Where to start: Provide consistently new entertainment that captures and holds attention for short periods, inspires an emotional response(s), and reinforces a brand/product in the consumer’s mind for future consideration—no hard call to action required.
Conscientious
This consumer prefers planning and organization to spontaneity. While seemingly inflexible and perhaps stubborn, the conscientious consumer is nonetheless disciplined and highly reliable by nature. While certainly proactive versus reactive, it’s not accurate to categorize these individuals as the antithesis of open. Instead, storytelling for the conscientious simply requires more consistency, familiarity, and authenticity—all while capturing attention and inspiring an emotional response.
Where to start: Deliver a storyline as familiar as a trusted fr iend, backed by a reputable product and good sense offer—entrench your brand with conscientious fans through consistency and dependability.
Extraversion
The extravert is everything one would expect in a consumer: highly social, full of energy, and assertive. This consumer wants to see and be seen and may appear overbearing when compared to more reserved introverted counterparts. Messaging must be equally high energy, shareable, and is most effective when the product reflects the same attributes as this consumer. Understandably, large numbers of this consumer are found in the tech, athletics, and entertainment audiences.
Where to start: Deliver enticement with edge, humor, and a pro-individualistic message while taking care not to emphasize loud or high intensity messaging.
Agreeableness
Compassion, co-operative, and even-keeled are apt descriptions of the agreeable consumer. Speaking to this individual’s trusting and helpful nature is the best way to earn brand loyalty. It’s important to note that hyper-competitive, untrustworthy, or confrontational individuals tend to score low in this trait (a great example of why one message for two people buying the same product is not optimal).
Where to start: Deliver messaging that inspires the agreeable individual to take action, support, and advocate. With emphasis on the consumer vs the company, the messages should strike an empathetic chord while inviting the agreeable consumer to join the brand in its positive mission.
Neuroticism
Speaking to a tendency towards negative feelings and emotions in an empathic fashion is an effective way to win the heart and mind of the neurotic consumer. Anxiety, depression, and anger are typically associated with this mindset and understanding this reactive nature is key to delivering the right message at the right place and time. Beyond pop ups, pharmaceuticals, and politics, there are c ountless examples of effective messaging the speaks to those with reactive predispositions.
Where to start: There’s no need to shout or pander when pointing out an unwanted reality (and the ability to change it), in fact mentioning it alone is often enough to inspire action. Additionally, messaging that promises safety and security will appeal most.
It takes more insights and effort to elevate communications from good demographic and historical data targeting to personality-driven messaging but doing it will differentiate your brand on a much more personal level.
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