Brand Personas

Brand Personas

As social media use has skyrocketed, most brands have had to maneuver their way through the change to still reach their target market. While still staying in touch with their message, brands like Duolingo, Wendy’s, and Netflix, have dove head first into the vitality of social media and have become very successful. They began to create a persona on their respective platform that has brought in a whole new demographic.

Each of the aforementioned brands have interestingly settled on a certain social media platform that has become part of their brand personality. Wendy’s settled on Twitter, now X, with their slightly unhinged tweets and replies. Wendy’s has become known for roasting other restaurants, posting unhinged tweets, and being meme worthy. The best example of the caliber of tweets Wendy’s put out, is their bio “We like our tweets like we like our fries: hot, crispy, and better than anyone expects from a last food restaurant” (Wendy’s Twitter Bio). Their social presence has created a fanbase of their own as every one of their followers expects to see unconventional tweets and retweets. Netflix has taken to Instagram heavily. Their memes are next level. One can tell that their social media manager does their research and acts accordingly. Each post is handcrafted to include a popular meme along with a tv show or movie they are trying to promote. As seen in this image they are promoting the new Netflix Original “One P

iece”. They have a plethora of tv show related pictures within this stack and simply just change the words accordingly. Netflix’s social media personality is one that could be compared to a meme/edit filled fanpage run by a 13 year old girl, cringy but tolerable. The most note-worthy of the brands has to be Duolingo. Duolingo has come to be known as the most unhinged brand to take to social media. The Duo Owl has become a symbol of unconventionality. The owl stays on top of trends and will post their own version then in minutes the post will gain millions of views. The comments are just

as unusual. The image to the right is an example of the way Duolingo interacts with their fanbase. Similar to Netflix, their social media manager is very aware of what works and does just that. The personality of Duolingo is the epitome of Generation Z, out there and crazy while also being smart and savvy.

All of these personas have become a part of these brands' marketing strategies. Their marketers understand where their target markets and sub target markets reside and intend to grab their attention. They lean into the wild, crazy and viral nature of the Generation Z led social platforms and bends to the will of the audience. To the older generations this may seem ruinous and like they are going down the wrong path, but these brands are humanizing themselves and becoming more approachable. The reason consumers are flocking to these brands is because they feel the authenticity of each of them. They can feel the thoughtfulness of each of the posts and understand that this will translate into their products. Humanizing a brand makes it more approachable and allows the consumers to feel like they are communicating with a personal friend as opposed to a random man in a tall building somewhere. To appeal to a certain demographic you have to get on their level and align with their personalities. Many brands are creating personas that align with their desired demographics and these are the brands that are thriving.